Planning & Production

In the current economy, where consumer spending habits are more unpredictable than ever, a company needs to adjust to changing demand signals. Longer lead times, a by-product of companies outsourcing to low cost suppliers, have complicated this problem. These unpredictable demand signals have to be communicated up and down the supply chain, with all partners shifting their beats in tandem to achieve high efficiencies.

Companies need an optimal sourcing plan that takes into account inventory, demand priorities, cost and time constraints. To achieve all the benefits, companies also need to run an efficient production operation. This requires creation of production plans that are optimized, on an hourly or more frequent basis.

Planning and production management require a solution that enables them to source product from the most appropriate supplier at the lowest cost in order to meet demand on time. The solutions must also deliver an accurate production schedule for every machine, down to the minute, and allow you to re-plan quickly in the event of disruptions.

Overcoming challenges in planning and production

A number of challenges face supply chain managers within the planning and production environment, Viewlocity Technologies’ solutions can assist with:

  • Optimizing sourcing decisions

    Products need to be sourced from the cheapest total cost alternative, not just the fastest source or the cheapest manufacturing source. The large number of products and potential alternative sources make this a particularly tough challenge.

    Viewlocity Technologies’ sourcing, visibility and control solutions allow companies to profitably source demand while providing visibility across the supply chain.

  • Minimizing lead time from order-to-delivery

    Products must be made available to customers when they need it. Customer demands are usually last minute and not always predictable. By minimizing the total lead time, companies can make better use of their assets and satisfy customer demand.

    Viewlocity Technologies’ sourcing solutions generate master plans based on actual inventory levels and available capacities throughout the supply chain. These tools help to ensure on-time delivery of customer orders by analyzing options and then identifying the lowest cost pathway that will deliver the product to the customer.

  • Balancing inventory vs customer service vs asset utilization

    Bottleneck resources might have to run all the time while other, potentially more expensive assets are not fully utilized. Companies need to decide if they want to keep stock at the component level or at the finished product level and then choose the products and how much stock they need to keep. This is tied to uncertainty in demand and supply and affects overall customer satisfaction levels. There is a tight balancing act that needs to be performed.

    Viewlocity Technologies’ production solutions link operational planning and execution in real-time and concurrently synchronize order fulfillment activities and resources. You can use graphical process modeling and integrated discrete event simulation to generate production plans that are load and line balanced and which consider resource, material, tool and machine availability.

For planning and production management, Viewlocity Technologies has the solutions you need to:

  • Profitably source product
  • Minimize total lead time
  • Provide accurate production schedules
  • Minimize inventory waste and obsolescence
  • Increase operating efficiency
Contact us today to find out more or read a selection of white papers, case studies and data sheets.