Plan forecast optimise

Plan forecast optimise

Don t Forecast the future, CONTROL IT Reflex Business Forecasting breaks new ground. This is sales forecasting software with unique features that allow you to create real value for your customers, and take real cost out of your business. Reflex Business Forecasting uses world-class multi-level business forecasting techniques, allowing you more time to better understand your market and make decisions. Using order history fed from your core ERP system, Reflex calculates your forecast by day, week or month, using auto-adaptive calculations based on algorithms developed with Manchester Metropolitan University. Reflex dynamically analyses demand or sales history and calculates seasonality and trend to create a base forecast for seasonalised sales. Importantly, Reflex Business Forecasting will also allow the user to identify separate promotional activity, both in sales history and in the forecast. These events can be managed at any level in the hierarchy, minimising effort and improving accuracy. A library of profiles can also be created, allowing the system to learn from past events and enhance projections. Accurate management of this process is crucial to successful business forecasting. Equally, the integration of forecast promotions and events enables the activity of the Sales and Marketing functions to be planned into the sales forecast. Comparing forecast to budget and managing the financial processes is core to Reflex Business Forecasting. Important commercial considerations such as margin effects and pricing are easily managed at a detailed or aggregate level. Financial and volume forecasts can be compared between products, family groups, customers and markets. Sales teams can be measured and incentivised on the margin and price effects of their activities. Reflex demand forecasting software also drives a highly effective alerts system that will help users address weak forecasts. Alerts provide the user with a work schedule that will improve the forecast in the most efficient way. Based on a simple traffic lights model, it will highlight forecast inaccuracies and make continuous improvement a way of life. Reflex Demand Planner supports multiple forecasting algorithms and methodologies to enable forecast improvement across all types of products; fast- and slow-moving, lumpy, short life cycle, trending, level and highly seasonal. It also supports the effect of causal variables. 2

Plan. forecast. Optimise. effective measures with inventory forecasting Improved customer service Reduced obsolescence Improved cash control Balanced stock profile Reduced stock levels Reduced warehouse footprint Improved return on investment Making the most of your stock Reflex Inventory Optimization will help reduce inventory and improve service. Effective supply chain inventory management not only reduces cost, but improves performance in the one area where markets are most demanding today: Customer Service. Reflex Inventory Optimization monitors demand variability and accounts for the outputs from the demand forecasting software. In this way, it calculates optimum inventory at item level. It also allows the user to model inventory against target service levels and decide how much to invest in stock. Improved customer service is perhaps the most invaluable benefit of effective supply chain inventory management. The immediate benefits of order fulfillment and improved sales are one thing; the longer term benefits of enhanced reputation and a strengthened brand are quite another. But there are many other benefits that reduce cost, starting with a reduction in written-off stock due to obsolescence. A properly balanced stock profile will allow reduced inventory levels overall, thus reducing the warehouse footprint and associated costs. Even the cost of labour and Mechanical Handling Equipment can be reduced. Reflex Inventory Optimization outputs are time-phased, calculating the different levels of inventory may be required at different times of year. They include ABC product classification, safety stock, optimum stock, excess stock, and days of supply. Alternate solutions are easily modelled and compared, allowing managers to balance customer service targets against capital investment. Supported by an effective forecast, Reflex Inventory Optimization provides a rapid return on investment by reduction in stock and consequential benefits. Reflex can be justified on these benefits only, let alone reduced costs and improved service across the supply chain.

Right product, Right place, Right time. Reflex Supply Chain Planning software has been designed to automate as much of the replenishment plan as possible. It can be used to drive efficiencies within the company s production and warehouse structure and, in collaboration with suppliers, to provide a highly efficient interenterprise replenishment process. Reflex Supply Chain Planning provides future visibility of customer demands, your product and material requirements, and the actions needed by your suppliers to satisfy those requirements. It automatically generates a time-phased projection in monthly, weekly or daily periods, taking into account the numerous parameters facing the stock planner: stock-on-hand, stock-in-transit, firm planned orders, scheduled receipts, lead times, minimum order quantity, order frequency, forecast accuracy, minimum / maximum stock levels. Multiple versions of the plan can be modelled and compared to assess the impact of changes on the supply chain. Reflex Supply Planner is exception driven. It enables planners to quickly focus only on those situations where supply and demand are out of balance. As a result, planners can spend their time making informed decisions about resource allocation, expediting orders and customer service, instead of tending to routine replenishment orders that Supply Planner can handle automatically. Reflex Supply Planner anticipates and averts problems such as stockouts and out-dated inventory. Minimizing obsolescence, the solution presents planners with economically sound options - and pleased customers. Reflex Production Planner provides for long term Capacity planning by Production line or Work Centre taking into account specific factory calendars to account for holiday, shutdowns, and factory maintenance. The output for Capacity planning process include labour plan and are an essential feed into the supply plan and MPS requirements. The process analyses the gaps between available capacity and demand and where possible smoothes the demand by pulling forward or pushing back to create a smoothed production plan. In addition consideration is taken of stock builds requirements to meet planned seasonal peaks and the Safety Stocks to support them. All planning methods are supported such as MTO, PTO, MTS, PTS as required each part number. Calculations for cascading a plan through multiple levels from a central Group, through a Warehouse and down to a store level is supported. Reflex Scheduler module creates of an optimised plan which takes account of customer service objectives (eg key customers, priority products, minimise stock outs etc). Works orders can be dragged and dropped to re schedule and synchronise sub and final assemblies. The schedule will consider both current and future material availability together with WIP stock levels. Users can fully adjust and over write the proposed system schedule to achieve their desired plan. The scheduler will take into consideration the resource constraints of each work station. 4

Plan. forecast. Optimise. Sales & Operational Planning Without A Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process in place, there s no single process to make changes to forecasts and plans that everyone can see and use. S&OP has become more and more critical over recent years. It s a proven way to coordinate demand forecasting among the various departments involved in the process and reduce miscommunication. Reflex makes it easy to collaborate on what matters - improving your supply chain performance. Our S&OP software is designed to work alongside and enhance your existing ERP solution. Our software improves your S&OP process with: Our Graphical Dashboard brings together your planning data and alerts the user to focus his attention on poor performers.. Work with one set of figures to create a single view of future demand, inventory and production across your organization to share with your customers and suppliers. Typically, businesses using S&OP deliver 20% more perfect orders, hold half the inventory, get paid 66% faster, and have a 5% cost advantage against their competitors. The Reflex Dashboard can facilitate all these advantages within an effective S&OP process. With lengthening supply chains and ever more demanding customers, it is critical to generate the most accurate view possible of both short- and long-term demand. Using Reflex, this in turn will optimize order fulfillment. FORECASTING Today s retail world is complex and highly competitive. Global expansion, channel proliferation, product commoditization, consumer demand for variety and choice, and lengthening supply chains all make effective forecasting critical to business success. And yet high financial expectations remain. Sustaining growth through new markets and a focus on consumer loyalty will remain vital. Right product, right place, right time: this is a critical objective. It s a simple concept, but when you consider complications such as shifting seasonality, short product life cycles, multiple promotions, weather and other challenges, it becomes a demanding objective. Reflex Demand Planner has the answer to all of these supply chain challenges by providing you with one single view of demand. Our software automates everything from forecasting to replenishment so you get accurate data with which to deliver your plan. Reflex Demand Planner provides powerful, detailed results. But it is still easy to use, Its integrated modules can coordinate inputs throughout the supply chain, and across sales and production, for improved forecast accuracy. Reflex Supply Planner dynamically assesses requirements by using a timephased replenishment plan that shows monthly, weekly or daily time periods. The Supply Planner tracks scheduled receipts, customer orders, on-hand balances and optimized inventory targets.

Manufacturing Most manufacturers are driven by make-to-stock decisions. The realities of manufacturing requirements, long lead times, lot sizes, distribution channels, geographical restrictions and limited views of retail sales create complex stock holding situations. Reflex Demand Planner provides a robust and comprehensive forecasting engine to generate accurate forecasts that closely reflects the profile of your business. Reflex Supply Planner dynamically assesses requirements by using a timephased replenishment plan that shows monthly, weekly or daily time periods. Reflex tracks scheduled receipts, customer orders, on-hand balances and optimized inventory targets. PLANNING TO SUCCEED Reflex provides a view into the capacity available and allows better planning decisions. Distribution The Wholesale Distribution industry is faced with shrinking margins, growing costs, new competitors and demanding customers. Many wholesalers are offering value-added services and introducing private label goods to increase margins and drives profitability. Working in the distribution industry, your core asset is inventory. Keep too much of it on hand and you waste resources and risk obsolescence. Keep too little on hand and you lose customers. No wonder effective supply chain management is what often separates successful distribution companies from those that constantly struggle. The wholesale distribution industry is experiencing solid growth of over 8% pa which combined with the need to accurately predict reactions to promotional campaigns and gain consensus on a single view of demand across multiple channels makes it more challenging to determine the most effective way to invest in inventory across supply networks. Reflex Demand Planner enables you to create and model a valid, forwardlooking demand plan by product, customer, channel and geography. This means you can cost-effectively buy and stock as little product as possible and increase gross margins. And yet you can also ensure product availability to meet customer service requirements. By optimizing inventory management, you can increase value-added services with your most profitable customers. Reflex Supply Planner manages all your buying needs, automating the replenishment process and facilitating the buying process. Covers economic ordering, lead time issues and multiple constraints e.g. cubes, weight, order multiples and much, much more. Reflex Dashboard provides a consolidated view of your key performance indicators ensuring you can manage your business, and clearly identifies where your attention is required to bring you back on track. 6

Plan. forecast. Optimise. Pharmaceutical The Pharmaceutical industry has gone through a period of consolidation resulting in companies with large product portfolios with production facilities around the world. These large businesses mean bigger contracts with a bigger impact on customer service and revenues if products are out of stock. Patents and legal rights for one product in one market may be different in another. Publically available market share data means companies will need to react prompty to changes in the market to take advantage. All these factors can be monitored and managed inside Reflex. Price changes area common and companies need to monitor competitor activity and react quickly to stay ahead of the game. Reflex automatically uploads and analyses prices, monitoring margins and revenues as situations and markets alter. Reflex Demand Planner can store all the elements of data required that might have an impact on the forecast. Continual adjustments can be made throughout the month reacting to the changing situation in the field. Reflex Dashboard enables the users to identify the products that require attention and provides an action list to follow. Analysis of Revenue v Margin also identifies which products are contributing to the business more than others. Equally, critical factors that effect customer service can also be monitored. ONE SET OF NUMBERS TO DRIVE YOUR BUSINESS view them from the angle that suits you, whether you are in Finance, Marketing, Sales, Manufacturing or Logistics.

Reflex Business PLANNING, Burston House, Burston, Stafford, ST18 ODS, UNited Kingdom Tel : +44 (0) 1889 508 075 www.reflexplanning.com info@reflexplanning.com