SAP Supply Chain Planning


Supply Chain Management: SAP Supply Chain Planning

The art of orchestrating supply chain planning can be intricate. Unforeseen changes in supply, demand, and market changes are a test in agility. The ability to synchronize planning for sustainable growth is the key to building a resilient supply chain.

Supply Chain Planning Defined

Supply chain planning (SCP) is a forward-looking process. It is coordinating assets to optimize the delivery of goods, services, and information from suppliers to consumers. Organizations can leverage solutions to help navigate the complexities of planning and orchestrating supply chain operations flawlessly. SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) is powered by SAP S/4HANA memory and is a cloud-based planning software for supply chain management. IBP is a process for aligning a company’s business goals across operational functional areas.

Supply Chain Management: SAP Supply Chain Planning

The art of orchestrating supply chain planning can be intricate. Unforeseen changes in supply, demand, and market changes are a test in agility. The ability to synchronize planning for sustainable growth is the key to building a resilient supply chain.

Supply Chain Planning Defined

Supply chain planning (SCP) is a forward-looking process. It is coordinating assets to optimize the delivery of goods, services, and information from suppliers to consumers. Organizations can leverage solutions to help navigate the complexities of planning and orchestrating supply chain operations flawlessly. SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP) is powered by SAP S/4HANA memory and is a cloud-based planning software for supply chain management. IBP is a process for aligning a company’s business goals across operational functional areas.

Key integration elements are:

  • Supply and demand
  • Finance and Operations
  • Functions and business processes
  • Strategy outcomes
  • Non-financial measures
  • Cash flow, costs, and revenues.

A structured process that comes from an IBP approach enables companies to make better informed and fact-based decisions. It provides planning, what-if scenario capabilities, and real-time demand commitments, considering constraints. Increased visibility enables companies to incorporate insights from supply chain projections, financial projects, and strategic plans. There are unmatched benefits of IBP for SAP Supply Chain Planning, like optimization of logistics, improved cross-functional collaboration, planning agility, risk mitigation, and improved forecast accuracy.

SAP Supply Chain Planning yields several benefits:

  • Decreased costs
  • Increased profits
  • Reduction in delays
  • Improved efficiency
  • Increase in output
  • Better cooperation.

Vendor partners that can offer software solutions or operational intelligence include – SAP, Reveal or Gib.

Key Considerations for SAPinsiders are:

  • Video Q&A with Eric Jones from GIB on Connecting the Dots Between Supply Chain Planning and Execution. Learn how to tame many supply chain complexities with end-to-end -supply chain solutions by watching this video. The discussion gives a perspective on why supply chain planning tools are an imperative in today’s highly complex supply chains.
  • Demand Planning Alerts Increase the Accuracy of your Forecasts. David Ducray explains that demand planners are often faced with converting large amounts of data into an accurate forecast. Review different ways to spot trends and errors in data by using alerts to help you create a more accurate forecast. Allow planners the ability to manage by exception.
  • Meeting Demand with a Constrained Supply Using Product Allocation in SAP APO Global ATP. Alok Jaiswal reviews the process flow of how product allocation can be used in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO). This utilizes global available-to-promise (ATP) to meet customer requirements by managing the supply of scarce products.

75 results

  1. illuminate light

    Hunter Douglas Gets Illumination from SAP S/4HANA Consolidation

    Published: 20/April/2020

    Reading time: 7 mins

    Window treatment company Hunter Douglas, like many SAP customers, has grown through a continuing series of acquisitions. As business owners come into the family, they benefit from the organization’s minimum interference approach, however, the decentralized model presented challenges over time, particularly in supply chain management and purchasing. Learn how Hunter Douglas consolidated its business processes…

  2. Empty shelves COVID-19

    Supply Chain During Times of COVID-19

    Published: 14/April/2020

    Reading time: 7 mins

    Society’s increased reliance on certain products during COVID-19 and a dramatic drop in demand for others has disrupted supply chains around the world. Read what two experts in the field have to say about the impacts and learn how they’re using SAP technology to navigate the changes.

  3. What Did Members of the SAPinsider Community Contribute in March?

    Published: 08/April/2020

    Reading time: 2 mins

    We covered SAP S/4HANA migration topics, how to improve customer experience, several ways to optimize your supply chain function, and considerations for deploying SAP to the cloud.

  4. How SAPinsider Delivers Key Insights to Address Business Challenges

    Published: 08/April/2020

    Reading time: 2 mins

    “The brand speaks about a very trusted relationship between SAP and SAPinsider. I remember when I first heard SAPinsider I thought, who wouldn’t want to go to an SAPinsider [event]? And then I found out that there was a whole range of additional offerings to deliver and gain insight and share it among the SAP…

  5. Experience Management Could Take Supply Chains from Operational Parity to Brand Differentiation

    Published: 18/March/2020

    Reading time: 8 mins

    Many organizations do not use the supply chain or logistics management tools within SAP ERP or SAP S/4HANA as the developers intended. This misuse often leads to poorly aligned data sources that impede inventory accuracy and negatively affect company strategies. By using standard SAP tools for supply chain management (SCM) correctly, maintaining data integrity, and…

  6. Strategic Supply Chain Management, Part II of II

    Published: 21/February/2020

    Reading time: 11 mins

    In Part I of this two-part series, Understanding what to measure for effective KPI development, key performance indicators (KPI) were defined, the article reviewed how to develop effective KPIs for your business, and several examples of KPIs that have proven effective for the different domains in the value chain, regardless of the industry, were provided.…

  7. Desires Delivered in an Experience Economy: Learn How to Successfully Manage Supply Chains to Improve Customer Experience

    Published: 19/February/2020

    Reading time: 6 mins

    Today’s consumers have expectations for instant gratification and customizable orders, and those demands are starting to creep into business-to-business (B2B) transactions. B2B organizations need to be responsive to change to satisfy customer demands, for example, making mobile app ordering a priority. This article reveals how SAP customers can become winners in the experience economy. You…

  8. Understanding What to Measure for Effective KPI Development

    Published: 11/February/2020

    Reading time: 5 mins

    Strategic Supply Chain Management, Part I of II By Venkata Ramana Nethi CSCP, CPIM, Business Process Lead – Operations, Schlumberger Key performance indicators (KPIs) allow organizations to measure performance as it relates to specific projects, products, or workflow and use the information to evaluate their success at reaching business objectives. KPIs, also known as level-1…

  9. An Experienced SAP Supply Chain Management Lead Shares Views on Implementations and Steps Toward Digital Transformation

    Published: 24/December/2019

    Reading time: 5 mins

    In this Q&A, Muhammad Riaz Hussain Shan, SAP Lead for supply chain, quality management, and plant maintenance at Sitara Chemical Industries Ltd, shares with SAPinsider some key emerging trends in 2019. He offers insights from lessons and tips from his SAP implementations as well as his views on digital transformation of supply chain processes and…

  10. How Do Operations and IT Approach the Digital Transformation of the Supply Chain Differently?

    Published: 17/October/2019

    Reading time: 4 mins

    SAPinsider recently published a report titled, “Transforming the Intelligent Supply Chain,” which benchmarks the leading SAP customers in supply chain management on their progress in digital transformation in the supply chain. Digitally transforming the supply chain involves a range of technical and strategic considerations. In this case, digital transformation of the supply chain means multiple…