Why You Need Reliable Supply Chain Planning Software Now More Than Ever
Everyone I know is attempting to conduct “business as usual” under the most trying circumstances of our carriers. My friends and colleagues are trying to keep the global supply chain rolling, get every Target store their allocations and keep their people focused and on task. We are all trying to move forward with the biggest set of unknowns and with variables that the majority of us have never encountered. Supply shortages. Spiking and plummeting demand. A wackadoodle demand signal that will be useless to use in forecasting moving forward. Safety stock?!?!?! Suffice it to say (and stop me if you've heard this before) we could all use just a little certainty in these uncertain times. Your supply chain planning software shouldn't be an exception.
When the economy was booming, some of the budget makers in finance may have argued that there was little point in investing in Supply Chain Technology. And why would they? "Demand is solid! Sales are amazing! Why spend time or money implementing technology when business is fantastic?!" They may have even declared that supply chain planning software was a “want” not a “need.” Well, welcome to 2020 where down is up, cats chase dogs, and supply chain planning software is an absolute necessity.
The need for supply chain planning and advanced analytics has never been greater, and most report that their company’s capacity to take on a new project has never been smaller. With all these factors in mind, SCM Connections has created SPARK, a plug and play IBP implementation and solution package that will have you running advanced supply chain planning analytics in 12 weeks. Three reasons to consider moving forward with SCM Connection’s SPARK for IBP right now? Fixed price, fixed timeline, fixed scope. But perhaps most importantly, you'll finally get some certainty in an uncertain world.
Reason 1: Fixed Cost with Hard Dollar ROI.
Whatever else may be going on in the world, it is corporate capital planning time for 2021. I think it is safe to say that budgets are going to be tight and there is will be no room at all for projects without a solid business case and hard dollar return on investment. Say it with me now: IBP Spark has a fixed price and hard dollar ROI. SCM Connections will have you up and live in the IBP module of your choice for less than $300k*. We take on the risk of delivering on budget, removing any headache and uncertainty from your IBP implementation. SCM Connections will also use the industry benchmarks and best practices from our years of successful implementations to help you make the business case for IBP.*pricing subject to change depending on SAP license costs if company revenue is more than $1B.https://youtu.be/v_ItuYT8V2Q
Reason 2: There is no Time to Lose
Timing is critical now as we find ourselves not quite sure how the next technical week, period or quarter will play out thanks to COVID and economic variables beyond our control. With SPARK, you can be “what if” scenario planning your supply, demand and/ or inventory in less than twelve weeks. IBP allows you to shift your mindset in solving supply chain problems from asking “what can we do” to the more strategic “what should we do.” In minutes you can run an analysis creating answers to questions like “what happens if X state shuts down again and our lead times increase?” or “how can we fulfill our demand if this plant shuts down for six weeks?” Information is power and having the ability to create answers is priceless in this unprecedented uncertainty.
Reason 3: We Need All the Best Practice Support We Can Get!
What if you could take the best practices from the Fortune 500 companies that have implemented IBP over the last four years and implement those features/ tweaks/ reports along with SAP IBP for your company? That is exactly what SCM Connections has done with our SPARK package. We've taken the lessons learned from our most successful implementations with the world’s leading food, beverage and pharmaceutical companies and created a fixed scope, “plug and play” solution including everything you need. Templates, dynamic executive and planner dashboards, reports and custom key figures all preconfigured for you based on supply chain and industry best practices. No guesswork.
The one thing I am certain of is that uncertainty is not easing up any time soon. The other certainty? You need a supply chain planning solution that moves as quickly as your business is moving right now…and you need it fast. Now is the time to move forward with SAP IBP and SCM Connection’s SPARK package. Want to see IBP and SPARK for yourself? Reach out to me today and we will show you how IBP can create certainty for you in this uncertain world.
