Industryweek 21959 Pic
Industryweek 21959 Pic
Industryweek 21959 Pic
Industryweek 21959 Pic
Industryweek 21959 Pic

The Best Way to Develop Realistic Supply Chain Plans

Feb. 6, 2017
Imagine that an opportunity to gain more market share opens up. This opportunity would almost double your output but would solidify your staying power in this particular market, and your long-term business goals. Can your supply chain network handle it?The only way to know is to develop a holistic supply chain plan—which is exactly what ASK Power did.

The Best Way to Develop Realistic Supply Chain Plans

Imagine that an opportunity to gain more market share opens up. This opportunity would almost double your output but would solidify your staying power in this particular market, and your long-term business goals. Can your supply chain network handle it? Do you need to invest in additional shop floor resources? Would you be able to deliver on-time consistently?

The only way to know is to develop a holistic supply chain plan—with robust sales and operational planning and realistic capacity planning—which is exactly what ASK Power did in a similar situation.

A Realistic View

ASK Power manufactures and supplies electrical power connectors for the transportation, military, telecommunications, and OEM markets. When company management went after more business in a key market, they realized that manual forecasting on spreadsheets did not provide an accurate view of how the company was delivering on demand.

With detailed shop floor control and visual capacity planning tools, ASK Power is able to forecast 45 or 60 days ahead of production—and regenerate plans based on machine layout as needed. What this does is more accurately reflect capacity and work center reality both for infinite and finite capacity planning.

A Tight Control on Inventory

Another challenge ASK Power faced is delivering on this increased demand without building up stock. Reconciling inventory levels on spreadsheets at the end of the month proved to be unsustainable.

Robust sales and operations planning (S&OP) software has enabled the company to develop more accurate forecasts. After reviewing capacity, inventory, and scheduling, management can set inventory targets and plan supply that has increased inventory turns—from three to as much as six.

A More Efficient Production Line

Taking advantage of a market opportunity not only has grown business but presented new challenges for ASK Power. But with DemandCaster Capacity Planning and S&OP the company has not only gained market share but also shorter lead times, sales growth, and lean inventory.

See for yourself. Register for a DemandCaster webinar now.

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Shifting Your Business from Products to Service-Based Business Models: Generating Predictable Revenues

Oct. 27, 2023
Executive summary on a recent IndustryWeek-hosted webinar sponsored by SAP

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!