ToolsGroup Releases Instant Replay for Supply Chain Planning Simulation

Analyzes history retrospectively and drills-down to an unprecedented level of detail

 GARTNER Supply Chain Executive Conference, Phoenix AZ May 11, 2015 – ToolsGroup announces the immediate availability of a new supply chain simulation tool “Instant Replay” for change management and continuously improving supply chain processes. Instant Replay enables planners to review historical events and compare multiple scenarios at a detailed Daily/Customer/SKU-Location level.

Most supply chain simulation tools are forward-looking and only offer an aggregated view.

Instant Replay uniquely lets users retrospectively analyze demand, inventory, supply and service level events. They can drill down to an unprecedented level of detail, such as by warehouse, SKU-Location or even individual order. It brings huge processing power and memory to bear and leverages a very powerful optimization engine.

A fundamental problem in supply chain planning is that it is very difficult to track how specific past events and activities relate to personal and organizational KPI attainment. Even where KPI deviation is clear, it may not be clear at all why the deviation occurred.

Instant Replay operates like a “golf swing analyzer” for supply chain planning professionals. It lets planners go back to a specific time period and visually simulate the subsequent events, comparing three scenarios:

• Actual – what happened within a specific observed time interval
• Planned – what should have happened, based on released S&OP plans
• Potential – optimized recommendations based on circumstances at the time, without benefit of hindsight

As with the golf-swing analyzer, Instant Replay helps supply chain planners diagnose strengths and weaknesses in order to continuously improve. For instance, comparing “Potential” and “Planned” shows the value of “manual overrides.” If the overrides add value, Instant Replay identifies how the planning model should be improved. If they subtract value (e.g., bias, overbooking, capacity constraints), it identifies where the S&OP process needs to be tuned.

According to Joseph Shamir, ToolsGroup’s CEO, “Instant Replay was born out of a growing demand to forensically analyze individual supply chain events to isolate problems. We encourage our customers to continuously improve their planning outcomes by leveraging granular data in their planning processes.”

About Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference

The Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference is the world’s most important gathering of supply chain leaders. The event features analysts specializing in all supply chain disciplines and offers an unrivaled resource for chief supply chain officers, their supply chain leadership teams and organization as whole when it comes to advice and expertise. This year’s Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference will explore the new meaning of supply chain excellence in the digital age–preparing leaders to push past traditional boundaries, drive innovation, and uncover new sources of value for the enterprise.