2015 Readers' Choice Survey: Supply Chain Planning

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For a short while, supply chain projects took a back seat to hot initiatives like social media and big data. But, 2015 will be a year for belt tightening and cost saving, making supply chain the natural place to turn for help. Supply Chain Insights Founder Lora Cecere explains why supply chain planning systems are back in vogue as companies attempt to weather the storm of demand and supply volatility.

Can you comment on this list?
Cecere:Solutions are evolving incrementally. The pace of supply chain planning is slow in comparison to other technology markets, like marketing analytics or sales force automation, but there are some notable trends.

Logility, a traditional favorite, has remained loyal to the market with a focus on solutions that are easy to deploy and add quick ROI. It is no surprise that they are a customer satisfaction winner.

Noticeably missing from the list are the Dutch vendors that have entered the scene: OM Partners, ORTEC and Quintiq. These vendors are gaining traction for solving tough transportation planning problems and helping customers better define last mile delivery.  

SAP, the market share leader, continues to rate as best in the category for the consumer goods industry. The SAP S&OP solution is slowly gaining adoption for companies with more than one instance needing a visualization layer.

Infor has focused on improving usability with a strong focus on the user interface and the Oracle Demantra solution is a strong fit for consumer packaged goods with its tightly linked trade promotion software solution. Terra Technology continues to broaden its planning capability introducing a tactical demand planning tool, and widening the capabilities in transportation forecasting.

What does the ideal supply chain planning system look like today?
Cecere: Increasingly, companies are looking for solutions that are easy to use and are software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployments. They want deep optimization and what-if scenario planning that has the depth and capability in the data model to use new forms of demand data, production planning and tactical planning in supply for multiple types of production runs, and scalability for quick batch jobs. The increase in computing speed is slowly changing the face of supply chain planning to meet some of these needs.  

Are S&OP solutions still a consideration when evaluating supply chain technology?
Cecere: As S&OP processes proliferate, the demand for S&OP solutions is increasing. Companies want both a visualization tool and a modeling tool, and they are asking vendors to bring more functionality to market. Choosing a solution is complex with 33 S&OP solutions in the market.

In summary, 2015 will be a good year for supply chain planning. The solutions are inching forward, but the renewed interest in supply chain planning may be the shock that the market needs to accelerate investment.