Saturday, July 11, 2009

The S&OP Sweet Spot on Manufacturing Executive

The S&OP Sweet Spot on Manufacturing Executive

Abstract: In order to respond quickly to rapidly changing markets, manufacturers are striving to find tools that help them easily link financial plans with operational plans.

During the holidays, cookies are in high demand. Elementary school students are selling baked goods as part of their school fundraisers, and supermarkets and restaurants are upping their orders.

That's a good thing for Otis Spunkmeyer, a San Leandro, CA-based cookie manufacturer that has seen its revenue nearly double over the past five years. But all of this holiday season activity puts pressure on the company to reconcile sales forecasts with inventory and production operations.

Until about a year ago, Otis Spunkmeyer was using Excel spreadsheets to summarize sales forecasts for the annual budgeting process. That approach limited the number of people who could access the information. In addition, it did not always accurately reflect what the sales force was seeing and could not tie financial forecasts with production. The company was often at risk of making too few or too many cookies.


Complete article ....................Posted using ShareThis

No comments:

Perspectives on Managing through Difficult Times