Today’s manufacturers, distributors and retailers need a strategic sales and operations planning (S&OP) process that will help them deal with increasingly complex operations, growing demand from consumers and the ever-present need to cut costs. Too often, however, a company’s S&OP process is merely a tactical exercise in balancing supply and demand. S&OP must evolve into an integrated business planning approach that aligns cross-functional areas of the business with its financial objectives.

“Next-generation S&OP enables businesses to better align their financial objectives with available capacity and resources, product launches, production plans, as well as sales and marketing programs,” said Fred Baumann, vice president, industry strategies, JDA Software. “As a result, more informed supply chain decisions can be made to ensure that the right amount of raw material is procured, the right amount of product is manufactured and that inventory levels are optimized to support go-to-market strategies.”

At the 2010 CSCMP Annual Global Conference, Sept. 26-29 in San Diego, Calif., JDA Software Group, Inc., The Supply Chain Company®, will highlight the following strategies to help companies adopt a more strategic S&OP approach:

  • Managing consensus: Oftentimes, there is limited participation from key stakeholders across the business. The S&OP process must be communicated in a language that different stakeholders can understand to foster accountability during management review meetings. A company’s sales executive will want to view the plan by significant account, while the chief financial officer will want the plan represented in financial terms. An S&OP solution that provides aggregate views of the plan will improve collaboration among trading partners and enable reconciliation at the detailed level.
  • Enforcing accountability: A strategic S&OP process must be monitored to ensure that performance measures are met. Next-generation technology publishes one version of the plan with varying scenarios and then audits it over time, highlighting when certain activities are due and tracking performance against agreed-upon targets. Such a solution can also provide business process orchestration to define the steps and cadence of the S&OP meetings, identify the stakeholders responsible for deliverables and provide monitoring alerts, enabling faster action when critical decisions must be made.
  • Improving data consolidation: Subpar S&OP processes leverage manual data generated from multiple – and oftentimes disparate – systems. A lot of time is spent trying to collate the information, which can result in major disconnects between detailed- and aggregate-level plans. It can also create errors caused by data latency across multiple independent systems that are not synchronized. Using a solution to automate the collection and consolidation of data from multiple systems into a common synchronized repository will speed decision making and plan accuracy.
  • Assessing the impact of changes: Companies working with incomplete or outdated information will be hard pressed to quickly assess and effectively make changes to their overall S&OP processes. Next-generation S&OP solutions provide robust, what-if scenario planning capabilities that can help manufacturers measure the financial impact that a particular scenario may have on the business, as well as provide a framework for making the most optimal decision.

JDA Executives and Customers to Present at CSCMP 2010

During the following 2010 CSCMP sessions, JDA executives and leading companies, including Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. and Whirlpool Corporation, will share S&OP and supply chain best practices to improve collaboration, streamline business operations, drive down costs and enhance profitability:

  • The Evolution of S&OP to Integrated Business Planning: JDA’s Fred Baumann will participate in a panel discussion on the transformation of S&OP from a foundation of demand/supply balancing to a framework for integrated business planning. The panel will provide a practical understanding of how the process has matured, recent trends and how it is likely to evolve going forward. (Sept. 27, 10-11:30 a.m.)
  • Make, Sell and Deliver Coke Products to 18 Million Thirsty Consumers: With diverse consumer preferences in a crowded-shelves environment, beverage companies must differentiate themselves by introducing innovative products and pushing for distribution speed and efficiency. Charles Devenney, director of supply chain planning for Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated, and David Johnston, senior vice president, supply chain, JDA Software, will discuss how integrated supply chain planning processes, tools and people help businesses gauge and respond to the rapid changes in market demand. (Sept. 27, 10-11:30 a.m.)
  • Linking Retail and Manufacturing S&OP through Collaborative Planning: JDA’s Fred Baumann will join executives from Whirlpool and Lowe’s in a panel that will discuss how linking collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR®) and S&OP can create an integrated business planning process within and across trading partners. The session will feature lessons learned and benefits achieved, as well as an interactive discussion on how to get this process started in your own organization. (Sept. 28, 3:30-5:00 p.m.)

To learn more about JDA’s solutions and services that help businesses improve their S&OP and supply chain management strategies, visit www.jda.com.

About JDA Software Group, Inc.

JDA® Software Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: JDAS), The Supply Chain Company®, is a leading provider of innovative supply chain management, merchandising and pricing excellence solutions. JDA empowers more than 6,000 companies of all sizes to make optimal decisions that improve profitability and achieve real results in the discrete and process manufacturing, wholesale distribution, transportation, retail and services industries. With an integrated solutions offering that spans the entire supply chain from materials to the consumer, JDA leverages the powerful heritage and knowledge capital of acquired market leaders including i2 Technologies®, Manugistics®, E3®, Intactix® and Arthur®. JDA’s multiple service options provide customers with flexible configurations, rapid time-to-value, lower total cost of ownership and 24/7 functional and technical support and expertise. To learn more about JDA Software, please visit www.jda.com, e-mail info@jda.com or follow JDASoftware on Twitter.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by words such as “can,” “will,” “ensure,” “help,” “enable” and “expect” and other words with forward-looking connotations. In this press release, such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, comments and remarks that certain S&OP strategies can enable our customers to obtain certain benefits. The occurrence of future events may involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: (a) the strategies may not produce the anticipated results; (b) there may be implementation and integration problems associated with the solutions associated with these strategies; and (c) other risks detailed from time to time in the “Risk Factors” section of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information relating to the uncertainty affecting our business is contained in our filings with the SEC. As a result of these and other risks, actual results may differ materially from those predicted. JDA is not under any obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

“JDA” is a trademark or registered trademark of JDA Software Group, Inc. Any trade, product or service name referenced in this document using the name “JDA” or “i2” is a trademark and/or property of JDA Software Group, Inc.

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