Industry contrasts and trade-offs

24 Feb 25

Planning Spare Parts Demand

Spare parts supply chains rarely behave like conventional product supply chains. Finished goods demand often follows patterns shaped by consumer behavior

17 Feb 25

SKU Growth Limits

Production planners frequently encounter a puzzling situation. A factory appears to have sufficient rated capacity to produce all required products.

03 Feb 25

VW Inventory Reality

News cycles occasionally rediscover a familiar story. A major manufacturer appears to be sitting on large volumes of inventory.

27 Jan 25

Understanding CAP and RAP

SAP technology discussions increasingly resemble a collection of unexplained acronyms. BTP, CAP, RAP, CPI, UI5, Fiori. Each term appears in architecture diagrams and product presentations.

06 Jan 25

Who Is Really My Competition?

Most demand forecasting methods begin with the same assumption. Future demand will resemble past demand in some meaningful way.

30 Dec 24

Every Schedule Has an Objective

In manufacturing planning the most important scheduling decision is rarely the algorithm. It is the objective

23 Dec 24

Big Data: Humble Objectives

Many discussions about Big Data begin with the assumption that complex phenomena require complex tools. Vast storage systems, distributed computing clusters