Executive Stream 3: Technology, Big Data, and Digital Transformation for the New Age of Predictive Analytics

IBF's Virtual LEADERSHIP FORUM

If you don’t transition your company to be analytics driven, you could be left behind. We now compete not so much on price or quality, but on our ability to interpret data. And given that predictive analytics and AI have reached a tipping point, we must look at organizational design for Demand Planning differently. Big Data and predictive analytics are exploding with a growing number of variables and complex relationships that can be analyzed and understood – and technology underpins every element of this evolution.

We will be discussing whether functionality updates are growing faster than our maturity levels, whether we should invest in new and “advanced” technology and expect our teams to play catch-up, and whether we should blame poor results on systems or the lack of best practices and qualified talent. And of course, we’ll dive into the role of advanced analytics during times of disruption

THE KNOWLEDGE YOU WILL GAIN INCLUDES:

How to start a technology search and avoid technology pitfalls, and tips and tricks for quick, easy access to data and decision making
How your organization can be at the vanguard of technological change
How technology helps keeps supply chains functioning during times of crisis, and helps maintains sufficient inventory
How to develop an analytics driven roadmap and sell it leadership
What a “best practice process” looks like and determining the right balance with technology tools
How to use predictive analytics technology to predict and respond to massive demand disruptions like Covid-19
How to provide analytics insight to all areas of the business
How to identify key demand drivers and incorporate them into your forecasts
Some not-so-obvious Big Data sources to create demand signal insights

Moderator:
Eric Wilson, CPF, Director of Thought Leadership, Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning

Panelists:
Joe Eschenbrenner, ACPF, Director of Demand & Supply Planning, Puma
Tim Hotze, SVP Global Network Planning and Global Intelligence, Target
Jon Ostrom, Director of Planning Applications and Supply Chain Analytics, Columbia
Andrew Schneider, ACPF, Sr. Transformation Manager of Corporate Quality, Medtronic

Eric Wilson, ACPF

Director – Thought Leadership

Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning

Eric is a predictive analytics and business planning innovator, author, and speaker. He is the Director of Thought Leadership at the IBF. Prior to this he worked as the Director of Demand Planning at Escalade Sports, Director of Demand Planning at Berry Plastics, and Director of Demand Planning & S&OP at Tempur Sealy International. In 2016, he received the Excellence in Business Forecasting & Planning award from the IBF. He is an IBF Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF) with over 20 years of experience. Eric is a visionary in his field, a frequent speaker and panelist for many executive forums and professional conferences, and has written numerous articles in publications such as The Journal of Business Forecasting and APICS Magazine. He is also the author of the books Cultural Cycles and Predictive Analytics for Business Forecasting & Planning.

Andrew D. Schneider, ACPF

Head of Demand Planning & Analytics

Viega LLC

Andrew Schneider is a veteran supply chain and business science professional, with a 20 year career spanning journalism, sales, demand planning, analytics, emerging data sciences, strategy, and enterprise risk management. He is a thought leader for the IBF and a member of the esteemed advisory board, an ASCM award-winning fellow & certification holder, and an always-hungry learner of & contributor to the business planning field. He has vast experience across leadership & practitioner roles in CPG, Footwear & Apparel, Food & Beverage, and Medical Device sectors, along with systems implementation, COE deployment, and full supply chain transformation experience. Andrew is presently employed in a supply chain management role with Viega LLC, but also maintains his consultancy practice and is always available to network, consult, and serve. He is an IBF Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF).

Tim Hotze

SVP Enterprise Capacity Planning

Target

Tim leads the newly created Enterprise Capacity Planning Team at Target, reporting into the COO. Prior to this he served for five years as SVP, Network Planning, Global Intelligence and Last Mile where he oversaw Target’s Supply Chain intelligence products and applications as well as end-to-end strategic and operational functions for Network and Topology Planning. Before joining Target in 2017, Tim held a number of leadership roles at Amazon covering Supply Chain Execution, Capacity Planning and Management, Inventory Placement and Labor Planning. He also spent more than a decade at Panalpina World Transport where he had responsibility for worldwide logistics and supply chain solutions. Tim sits on the Advisory Board for the Institute of Business Forecasting and Planning (IBF) and is a former Executive Director of The Warehouse Education and Research Council. Tim holds a Master’s degree in Electrical and Industrial Engineering as well as a degree in Logistics and Supply Chain from the University of Technology in Darmstadt, Germany.

Joseph Eschenbrenner, ACPF

Director Planning and Material Management

Roche Tissue Diagnostics

Joe Eschenbrenner serves as the Director Planning and Material Management for Roche Tissue Diagnostics. Prior to this, he served as the Director of Demand Planning for Puma North America where his responsibilities were focused in multiple areas, driving "Speed to Market" and "Holistic Operational Efficiency". He has extensive experience managing Demand and Supply Planning, Merchandising Operations, and Sales Allocations. He also worked as the Global Manager of Demand Planning for the Timken Company which serves diverse industries including Automotive, Heavy Truck, Off Highway, Rail, Wind Energy, Heavy Industries, Power Transmission, Industrial Distribution and Automotive Market. Joe holds an MBA and Master's Degree in Finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) as well as a B.A. in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Connecticut. Joe is a past President of the Automotive Market Research Council and has achieved IBF's Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF) designation.

Jon Ostrom

Director of Enterprise Planning Technology

Columbia