Project managers have all faced the same challenge - effectively being able to develop a proper plan for demand. Demand planning has various attributes that are needed before successfully develop a plan. Necessary elements such as accurate forecasting and a reliable planning system are precursors to any successful demand planning effort - garbage in; garbage out. In the past, demand forecasting was considered more challenging due to the lack of technology that was available to planners in the regard.
Demand is an extremely tricky component to supply chain, simply because it is ever-changing. Yes, we can assume what overall demand will be during whole seasons, in geographical regions, factoring in population shifts; but it is nearly impossible to be sure what the each precise day-to-day demand is going to be - or is it? Through up-to-minute data analysis and data from the past, advanced demand planning systems are able to efficiently develop an accurate plan for more swift demand changes, which can be enacted at a moment's notice, in an automated and near seamless manner.
Through various capabilities and benefits, advanced demand planning systems can put you above the competition and can efficiently optimize production within your manufacturing operation. Advanced demand planning systems can not function on their own, but are more likely to be successful with advanced planning and scheduling systems.
Advanced planning and scheduling (APS) software is a robust extension of an ERP system such as SAP, and allows for a far more deeper insight into demand planning. Through presented up-to-the-minute data, an integrated ERP/APS system can accurately respond to forecasted demand. Together, the capabilities and benefits of an integrated solution capitalizes on the sum of parts and can greatly improve response to an ever-shifting demand.