"Demand planning is a team sport," says Davis Wu, Global Lead of Demand Planning and Analytics at Nestlé S.A. The team at Nestlé includes demand planners, demand analysts and data scientists, who all work together to ensure that Nestlé products remain in stock. Many demand analysts can be seen as
Consumer goods manufacturers have faced significant challenges over the past few years due to rapidly changing demand and supply disruptions in their end-to-end supply chain. As a result, manufacturers have realized the need to strengthen their resilience and have prioritized assessing their manufacturing capacity to maximize output and automation. To
Ah, Valentine’s Day. Whether you love or loathe this sweet holiday, you can’t miss it if you live in the United States. Seemingly by magic, stores begin filling with red and pink treats right after Christmas. And while you might be astonished by the quick switch in your favorite store,
Cloud technologies enable greater access to analytics. The shift to providing less complicated usability empowers decision-makers and offers a competitive advantage previously unattainable. Companies of all sizes and sectors embrace cloud technologies to address data and information challenges. IT departments are short-staffed and expected to support a large and varied
You're not alone if you’re still seeing local grocery stores with empty shelves. Food shortages are still lingering in 2023. Increases in consumer demand, labor shortages and shipping capacity restraints continue to interrupt supply chains, particularly for grocery retailers. These problems have persisted throughout the pandemic, as seen with the shortages
The landscape of supply chains has changed rapidly due to unforeseen disruptions. These changes include supply chain bottlenecks, inflation and geopolitical activities across retail and consumer goods industries. Retail supply chains are under immense pressure to keep up with these rapid changes. Innovators have been quick to take advantage of
Getting demand right – or getting it wrong – can have a significant impact on customer perceptions of your brand, particularly in this age of instant gratification. The need for agile, accurate demand planning has never been greater. Predicting forward-looking demand signals and shifting consumer demand patterns to recommend balanced, profitable commercial
Consumers are pulling back and shifting their purchases in the wake of inflationary pressures caused by high prices for fuel, freight costs, consumer goods and nonessential products. Demand is shifting faster than many retailers and consumer goods companies anticipated. Inflation continues to rise forcing consumer spending to shift once again
Often the biggest challenge when implementing a successful forecasting process has nothing to do with the analytics. Forecast adoption – incorporating forecasts into decision-making – is just as high a hurdle to overcome as the models themselves. Forecasting is more than analytical models Developing a forecasting process typically begins with
Queuing up to wait for services is a nearly universal experience. We routinely arrange ourselves in single file lines at the bank, at retail stores, and at the fast-food drive-through. Since the COVID pandemic hit, we've increasingly waited in lines to ensure our health – lining up to be seen
