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Enterprise resource planning FATAL FLAWS IN ERP system has become the operational nerve
(ERP) systems, currently used, do SYSTEMS center—if not the virtual brain—of most
companies. And as the marketplace
not work well in a customer-centric
Over the past quarter century, the ERP becomes more competitive, the number of
economy … what is needed is a products expands and customer demands
demand-based supply system that escalate, suppliers are resorting to more
focuses not on minimizing costs and more sophisticated add-on software
and inventory, but on optimizing tools to manage production, logistics, and
payment schedules.
customer value … currently
deployed ERP systems churn out Although billions of dollars have been
thousands of schedule changes at invested in ERP systems, they have not
the individual SKU level to deal stood the test of time and, in fact, often fail
to meet suppliers’ needs. It is not unusual to
with the volatile nature of the
hear of companies, having spent millions of
demand economy. dollars on ERP systems, dismantling them
before long. This often occurs because
ERP systems are supply-centric, set up to
W
ith the rapid emergence of the minimize costs and inventory. However,
demand economy, appeals for to succeed in the today’s demand-centric
better planning and forecasting world, companies need demand-based
are intensifying as customers require 100% supply systems that are specifically
ROBERT P. BURROWS III
on-time performance. Enterprise resource designed to optimize customer value.
planning (ERP) systems universally have Mr. Burrows is the founder and
scheduling and inventory replenishment managing principal of The On- ERP and its associated customer-
logic dating back to the 1960s. These push Point Group, a firm that applies the relationship, supply-chain, and product-
systems fail miserably in the emerging quantitative science of operations life cycle management systems were
demand economy. New rate-based research to supply-chain management built upon the supply-driven logic of the
demand planning tools are the solution problems. He spent 15 years as a 1960s. This logic, known as time-phased
because they replace traditional sales and strategic business unit head of Figgie requirements planning, has never worked
operations planning (S&OP) logic and International Corporation. Prior to that, well due to the overwhelming amount of
deliver competitive advantage. Continued he worked for Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., exceedingly detailed data, rigid inventory
reliance on the traditional ERP systems where he consulted to dozens of Fortune safety-stock floors, and high levels of
will substantially erode service levels 100 international manufacturing com- change orders. With such logic, supply-
and make total cost quite prohibitive. panies. Additionally, he has been on programming rules are neither flexible
This article delves into the fundamentals the General Management Council for nor sufficiently collaborative. Supply-
of rate-based demand planning and Growth Enterprises of the American chain systems are hierarchical and supply-
accompanying supporting processes. In Management Association. He holds a focused; they are not tied to customer
addition, it focuses on customer centricity Bachelor of Science in Engineering from value. Such data are arranged into regions,
throughout the organization and designing Iowa State University and a Master’s states, customers, or products, without
customer-value spaces that help streamline degree in Business Administration from well-defined supply relationships. Further,
demand planning. Case Western Reserve University. the detail required to run the “system” is
Rate-based planning inside DBS as well as in two other DBS processes used company’s operations. The supply
balances inventory among all SKUs in a for deployment, inventory standards are a plan must be flexible enough to adapt
family and allows operations to continue critical element and are used as a measure to demand while keeping the resultant
to produce predictable families to the of demand pressure inside the S&OP. The operational change costs in line.
demand rate until a very significant shift three key processes are discussed in some
in demand is realized. The typical ups and detail below. The DMP will support constructive
downs in demand are not considered. DBS conversation about value delivery
will change the rate of production to match 1. The DMP Makes S&OP Opera- among senior functional manage-
the rate of demand in organized steps. The tional. The goal here is to manage ment, which previously was rarely so
use of simulation to match the production operations and suppliers to actual focused. Typically, marketing talks
rate and the demand rate is an essential demand, not to manage demand about customers by region, demo-
element of DBS. The processes required from customers, which is not really graphics, size, or product preferences.
to implement the rate-based planning possible. The DMP aligns the demand Supply chain talks about products,
approach are discussed in the following plan—with all its uncertainties and warehouses, and production lines.
section. variables—with capacity, using a Procurement talks about key suppliers
production cycle plan and an inventory and sourcing strategies. There is little
DBS UTILIZES FIVE strategy. Further, the DMP replaces the common language between these
MANAGEMENT PROCESSES traditional ERP functions of capacity silos—no standard currency that
planning, master scheduling, and permits them to exchange mutually
DBS utilizes five processes to manage inventory management to maximize useful information, let alone measure
to demand. (See Figure 3) Three of the throughput and deliver value. (See the effectiveness of their joint
five processes are of most importance Table 4) operations in delivering value to the
and constitute the full S&OP process. The customer. No one functional area
demand-management process (DMP) is Under DBS, the critical balance or senior executive can really listen
used to balance capacity to demand. The between demand and supply can and respond constructively to others.
performance data base (PDB) is used be planned, and S&OP can become A DMP is the solution because it
to correlate data from many different the one place where marketing and provides a common language and
systems, including ERP, forecasting, supply-chain operations can and customer-centric information.
and others, to demand information. The should talk and strategize. However,
capacity balancing data (CBD) process this conversing and strategizing must 2. DBS Systems Work Because of
interprets demand, aligning production center on how to create (and measure) PDB. (See Figure 4) The PDB is
plans with actual demand as demand rates value for customers, not on how to not another system where alternative
become known. In these three processes, hit metrics of relevance only to the forecasts and plans reside. The PDB
Cumulative % of Total
Should be 2nd
Use of inventory standards is one of the
techniques that permits master schedules
to retain integrity and allows inventory 1st Actual
to move logically in response to demand Should be
variation. Inventory standards are built
upon the advanced operations research
technique of simulation. Using simulation, Actual
inventory standards can be tested against
common demand and supply variables
and, as a result, a range of acceptable 0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
inventory can be determined. Inventory
standards become a barometer of demand, Time
replacing the hard, unforgiving, and
splintered floors of safety stocks. Note: Starting point is mid point between seasons.