The last 24 months have proven to be turbulent and unpredictable for manufacturers, and while the economy improves, nonstop demand variability will remain the new normal. To stay afloat and manage the rapidly changing environment, manufacturers are turning to a new generation of Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) solutions that can do more than cut costs, but must also engineer ways to generate profit.

The daily landscape has shifted for manufacturing companies as they deal with inconsistent demand, unpredictability and high-risk decisions. In order to take full advantage of revenue and margin opportunities in this climate, companies must be able to quickly and accurately align their operations to shifting market signals. A major roadblock in this has been the lack in evolution of traditional S&OP solutions which are reactive in nature, cumbersome and disconnected to the present day climate.

Today marks an important landmark in the battle to enhance profitability for manufacturers with the launch of Infor S&OP version 1.0. Infor S&OP is purpose-built for the needs of manufacturing companies operating during the new reality of constant variability. This solution has been designed to integrate workflows and provide the tools to enable manufacturing teams to quickly make the most profitable choices.

This will revolutionize S&OP to provide companies with a competitive edge while maximizing profit and margin growth for customers regardless of demand variability.  I’m excited to watch first-hand as Infor’s manufacturing customers reap the benefits of this new generation of S&OP solutions.

Posted By Alan Lindsay, senior product manager, SCM, Infor