Research indicates that the winners and losers following a recession are differentiatedby the level of investment they make during the downturn. Here I present five strategies, that, while requiring capitalexpenditure, will enable companies to better balance supply and demand during the current Covid-19 environment, andemerge much stronger when Covid-19 abates and the economy returns to steady growth. I discuss the importance of properdata management to forecast effectively during periods of extreme demand volatility; the value of a digital twin to analyzetrade-offs and what-if scenarios; demand sensing to enable quicker supply responses; integrating IBP to act on the latest dataand tie tactical plans to strategy; and Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization to free up much needed ...

From Issue: Special Issue: Planning & Forecasting Under Extreme Uncertainty
(Winter 2020-2021)

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5 Proven Strategies to Improve Planning During Good Times & Bad