On the 10th and 11th of September many well-known companies – such as PepsiCo, Stora Enso and Konecranes – were informed of the latest findings on the optimization of planning processes at the S&OP Excellence Forum and were brought up to date on current scientific research results, in particular on the subject of Artificial Intelligence in Planning.
The feedback we received for our presentation (“Realistic use cases: AI-based forecasts and integrated planning – from keywords to corporate success”) showed that many companies still see great room for improvement in the use of resources and time. Inaccuracy, accountability and traceability of forecasts are other major painpoints. It was very positively perceived that smartPM.solutions addresses these issues, and not only makes the time-consuming merging and controlling of countless Excel spreadsheets obsolete, but also provides precise AI-based forecasts. Intense discussions with scientists working on AI have confirmed that the combination of integrated planning with artificial learning intelligence meets the needs of many sales-oriented companies.
One of the biggest lessons learned from the two days of conference, was that in addition to excellent CPM / SPM tools (such as SmartPM 😉), it also requires well-defined (planning) processes and strong management support to build a sustainable S&OP organization.
We will be attending some other theme-specific events this autumn and would be very happy to hear your opinion on these topics. If you are indisposed at these times, we are always happy to organize a private product demonstration.
