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- Calculate forecasts using statistical algorithms and sales collaboration
- Create an annual operating plan of revenue and unit production for each product you manufacture
- Monitor the plan and compare it to forecasts, shipments, orders, and inventory levels
Advanced Forecasting and SytePlan—all part of one Effective ERP Solution
The process and outcome of Advanced Planning and Scheduling is only as accurate as the data that feeds it. Knowing what to forecast based on historical trends or real sales forecasts, coupled with the ability to monitor and make adjustments, is the first step to just-in-time demand planning.
The Advanced Forecasting module works to increase forecasting productivity and accuracy by calculating and monitoring the inventory drivers (forecasts, safety stock and order size), allowing you to keep your inventory low while avoiding shortages.
SytePlan is a set of tools to help you manage the process of balancing supply and demand to optimize resources and maximize profits and provides tools to use CSI data to answer questions like:
- What did we plan to make and sell last month, and how did we do?
- How did the backlog and inventory change from the previous month and how should we modify our production plan to respond?
- For each product, are we on goal to achieve the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and, if not, was there a decrease in customer demand or was there a production problem?
- Did the forecast change and, if so, does the new forecast allow us to meet the AOP?
- Are we shipping on time, analyzed by customers, products and locations?
- Are we selling what we are making and vice versa, and in what areas does sales and production need to work together more closely?
Unmatched Forecast Accuracy
For discrete manufacturers, forecasting is crucial to determine the components needed to meet production requirements. Manual processes for forecasting, like spreadsheets, are error-prone and often result in excess inventory or order fulfillment and production problems. Infor CloudSuite™ Forecasting automates the calculation of forecasts and other inventory drivers such as safety stock and alerts you when actual demand varies from the plan.
Collect and Analyze Data
Collect and compare historical sales of products or usage in both units and dollars
Calculate Forecasts
Use historical demand and various algorithms with what-if analysis
Adapt the Forecasts
Adjust the forecast for specific market factors such as promotions, competitive situations, and new opportunities
Calculate Optimal Inventory Levels
Calculate optimum safety stock, order size, and reorder points
Perform Top-Down Forecasting
For configure-to-order products, use planning bills to calculate or specify a single forecast for a group of items. For common components but with unlimited end-item possibilities, forecast the components rather than the end items
Pinpoint problems to stay on track
Advanced Forecasting and SytePlan help sales, production, inventory, and financial managers work together to maximize customer fill rates, optimize inventory, and maximize profits. SytePlan assists you in creating an AOP and monitors your performance against the plan—identifying problems and directing your team towards activities that will balance supply and demand and keep you on track.
SytePlan identifies and recommends corrective actions for key production issues, such as:
- Producing WIP/inventory for products in excess of the demand
- Booking more or less than the forecast
- Changing the forecast too much for production to respond
- Building up WIP/inventory for products that have a backlog
- Planned production that is inadequate to reduce the backlog
- Creating unreasonable forecasts considering our capacity
- Selling what is most available and most profitable
- On-time delivery problems
Gold-Standard ERP Implementation Services
Copley Consulting Group has been an Infor Gold Channel Partner for nearly 30 years. We offer the expertise and project management resources to make your enterprise’s Infor CloudSuite Industrial and SytePlan implementation seamless. We’ve helped more than 250 small- to mid-size manufacturers transform their operations worldwide.
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