Forecasting tools are very powerful. Advanced modelling, machine learning, R forecasting, textual analysis and Python are all available for us to use in sophisticated forecasting systems. And indeed, a forecasting system is the cornerstone of an effective demand planning process, which is why companies spend significant amounts of time and money on them in the hopes that it will improve forecast accuracy. But does it really add value? Despite the dramatic advances in the technology available to us, a forecasting system by itself will never be enough without a wider plan to implement it, integrate it into a clear process and continually gauge its performance. In the session, we will discuss the right time to implement a forecasting tool, discuss a framework for it to work, selecting a system based on your specific requirements, and how to gauge the effectiveness of a forecasting system once implemented. l aim to leave you with the confidence to invest in software that will add value, instead of being a costly mistake.

You will learn:

• The factors that will make or break the implementation of a forecasting system
• Elements to consider that will increase a forecasting tool’s usability
• How to prove if the output of the tool enhances results

Jericho Del Puerto, CPF

SC Johnson
Demand Analytics, Continuous Improvement, Supply Chain Management

If you’re a forecaster, can you say you are a driver of growth? By that I mean, do you go beyond painting a picture of the future to implementing initiatives that create opportunities for growth? If you’re looking to truly leverage your role as a Forecaster or Demand Planner, where do you start? In this hands-on session, I will reveal how the Demand Planning team at Shell Lubricants did just that. By moving our focus away from managing KPIs to concentrating on value delivery, our Demand Planning team has evolved from being “forecasters” to “value drivers”. The essence of this journey was understanding how a Demand Planner can influence business value and then segment the portfolio to focus on these key value areas. Ultimately, this required a significant shift in both the core Demand Planning activities and in how we interacted with the rest of the organization. With real life examples from Shell Lubricants, I will leave you with practical tips to implement these changes in your own organization.

You will learn:

• What is meant by ‘Value Forecasting’
• How a portfolio can be segmented based on value
• The necessary changes to an S&OP process to make this approach work

Michael Mortlock

Shell Lubricants
Demand Planning Manager - Asia Pacific

Demand Planning is generally restricted to structured data likes sales orders and historical figures. And that is all well and good, but what about the vast amount of data residing outside the four walls of your organization? Unstructured, real-time data like social media is very valuable if we know what to do with it, but most of us are still unclear how this can work in our own organizations. This hands-on session will discuss the concepts behind leveraging Big Data, the insight it provides, and the required Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning systems to interpret and analyse it. I will also discuss how the silo approach limits the power of this unstructured data and how to move towards an integrated approach to AI. This is the next big breakthrough in demand planning – come to this session to enter the new era of superior business planning and decision-making.

You will learn:

• How Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning provide insight for superior decision making
• Simple tools to help your planning right away
• How to structure your organization to deliver the collaborative approach to ensure success

Gautam H. Kamdar

Schneider Electric
VP Supply Chain Planning

Everyone gets what S&OP is about. We all know the value it can create, who the key stake holders should be in the process, and what needs to be done to implement an S&OP process in a company. Conceptually, it is quite simple. What is surprising is that such a logical, straightforward (and even obvious) concept struggles to deliver the expected results. So where does it all go wrong? In this interactive session, we will discuss what it really takes to implement and sustain an effective S&OP process, examine common pitfalls, and discuss the worst practices that you may have unwittingly fallen victim to. We will drill deep into the three main drivers of successful S&OP: People, Processes, and Technology to give a solid understanding of how it all works. What’s more, with valuable advice on corrective action, you will be able to fix problems in your own processes, and even resurrect a dead S&OP process.

You will learn:

• The key drivers of the S&OP process
• What the obstacles to effective S&OP are and how to overcome them
• Corrective action to resolve problems and work towards a better S&OP process

Krishna K. Menon

Sullair Australia
Capital Inventory and S&OP Manager

This presentation will explain the replenishment business at Nokia and Levi Strauss & Co. Too often, this aspect of a commercial establishment is taken for granted; here it will be clear that replenishment is really the backbone of a business.  We will discuss the overall replenishment process, including how to select which SKUs to restock, how to keep the warehouse from being overstocked, how forecasting at a SKU level for the constraint period (C+3 Period) works, what are the demand attributes, how to develop a weekly forward cover strategy for core (replenishment) business, what is involved with trade model stocking, and how to automate the replenishment process. If one learns how to tame the dragon there are huge benefits that can be harnessed.

You will learn:

• Selection criteria of SKU for the replenishment core business
• Warehouse buffer management process
• Auto Replenishment process

Vishal Mankotia

Levi Strauss & Company
Head of Omni Channel Inventory Management

Using ABC/ XYZ analysis is a powerful way to drive improvements in forecast accuracy and inventory optimization. Based on the Pareto principle that a minority of products have a disproportionately large effect on the whole, it aims to identify the 20% of goods which bring 80% of sales. Armed with this information we can then define stability of demand in the market and manage our resources accordingly to meet demand in the most cost-efficient way possible. In this interactive session, I will reveal the basics of this methodology, how to prepare it in Excel with the right calculations, how to interpret the results, and how to put that information into practice. Not only does ABC/XYZ allow us to understand what inventory we need to hold, it also drives improvements in the sales forecast that we can apply to supply planning and warehouse management. It is a simple yet powerful approach to drive serious value as a demand planner, and I aim for you to be able to take this approach home to your own organizations and implement it straight away.

You will learn:

• The basis of ABC/XYZ analysis and its role in improving forecast accuracy and inventory optimization
• A detailed ABC/XYZ calculation method you can use in your own organization
• How to interpret the results to add real value to your company

Aigul Mangibayeva

Beiersdorf
Former Demand Planning Lead