When evaluating supply chain planning software capabilities, it’s instructive to understand what we mean by supply chain planning. We’re not referring to production and scheduling using MRP or ERP systems but rather to high-level supply chain planning software that facilitates long-term, tactical, and operational planning processes.
This is especially true with the need to extract data from multiple ERP, logistics, and CRM systems. Supply chain complexities exacerbate these calculations, as does the need for speed and flexibility.
Manufacturers need to continually review their manufacturing footprint strategies to maximize opportunities, minimize risk and optimize their tactics. They need to respond quickly to new concepts and changes in consumer preferences.
Manufacturing network design software focuses on optimizing plant locations, capacity, and product flow paths. It can span what-ifs on internal production optionality versus outsourced production. Since COVID-19, companies need more flexibility and agility in scenario analysis, so they can ensure their networks are resilient to continued disruption. Thus, planners are
After a long year of hardship and loss, the world economy seems set to rebound. There’s hope that COVID-19 will be vanquished through mass vaccination campaigns. Economic activity is set to return to some semblance of normality. The IMF anticipates that world GDP will grow by 5.5% in 2021 and 4.2% in
In 2020, manufacturing took a huge hit as a result of the constraints around COVID-19. In April 2020, year-on-year output dropped by nearly 20%. Since then, there’s been a dramatic recovery, although November 2020 figures are still 3.7% lower than those from November 2019. On the other hand, the October
Not since the Second World War has there been such global disruption as experienced in 2020. International transportation came to a standstill, major populations were confined to their homes, and factories shut down.
