Gartner has identified five stages of supply chain planning maturity and they say that 70-80% of companies plan to increase their supply chain planning (SCP) technology spend over the next two years to climb to the next level. In their recent report titled Carefully Assess Which Tools Are Right for Each Stage of Supply Chain Planning […]

“Your inventory problem is scary because you’re selling out before you can make new items to meet demand”. That’s what Robert Herjavec from the TV show Shark Tank said to an aspiring clothing retailer after their pitch in Season 8. Many retailers agree that inventory can be scary.  Why? Look at the recent performance of […]

Gartner says we are entering what they call the ‘Experience Economy”, where personalization, speed, agility and the ability to predict consumer trends before they happen will separate the winners from losers (Aspire, Challenge and Transform in a Disruptive World, 27 September 2017). Gartner cites the customer experience example of guaranteeing that a customer’s equipment never […]

Since machine learning is a hot topic, we thought it useful to clarify the difference between machine learning and traditional statistics as applied to supply chain planning (SCP). Both technologies help you better understand data and are classified as analytics, but each takes a very different approach. By understanding the difference, we see that they […]

Migrates solution to Microsoft Azure, taking advantage of their Machine Learning services Boston – September 13, 2017 – ToolsGroup announces a major new release of its AI supply chain planning software, SO99+ 8.0, bolstered by a new technology integration with Microsoft. With this release, ToolsGroup migrates its software to Microsoft Azure and its machine learning […]

Finance speaks a different language than supply chain. But by monetizing Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), supply chain planners can speak the language of finance while developing S&OP into a more mature process. In its report Partner with Finance to Monetize the S&OP Conversation, Gartner says finance is not taking part in S&OP meetings at 40% of […]

ToolsGroup’s unique combination of machine learning and advanced analytics applications include social sensing, weather, and enhanced NPI forecasting SANTA CLARA, Calif. — May 16, 2017 — Based on its recent analysis of the supply chain management (SCM) for the retail and wholesale market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes ToolsGroup with the 2017 North American Frost & […]

In a previous popular blog we described the key components of a demand sensing solution, which helps improve near-term forecasts by leveraging detailed, short-term demand data. It’s a great competency for any business—to be able to grab downstream demand data, identify trends, get a heads-up on looming problems, and minimize supply chain latency. But there are some […]

New applications incorporate social sensing, weather, and enhanced new product introduction forecasting Boston – Feb 15, 2017 – As part of its broader AI strategy, ToolsGroup announced today the availability of three new machine learning applications to improve demand forecasting and supply chain planning outcomes. Through its continuous self-learning nature, machine learning is significantly improving […]

A problem with Demand Collaboration is that we humans naturally tend to overestimate our own forecasting skills and underestimate or even distrust computer generated statistical forecasts. We ignore the statistical probabilities of outcomes and assign great significance to the few facts we know, ignoring the impact of what we don’t know. For instance, if we believe a […]

When it comes to demand forecasting, machine learning can be especially helpful in complex scenarios, allowing planners to do a much better job of forecasting uncertain demand. Demand forecasting with machine learning leverages the knowledge, experience, and skills of planners and other experts in a highly efficient and effective way across a broad range of data. […]

Many consumer product companies are showing keen interest in demand sensing. A few weeks ago, we published a blog describing why most CPG companies have hit a demand forecasting ceiling. This week Manoranjith Pathekkara, managing director of ToolsGroup’s partner in India, LogicaMatrix, digs into how companies are employing demand sensing to break through that ceiling. Demand sensing is a capability and technology for improving near-future […]