The reality today
Manufacturers own SAP or Oracle — and still plan in Excel
The gap isn't awareness. It's that enterprise planning suites price and scope themselves for a market most manufacturers aren't part of.
Forecasts nobody can retrace
Built on one planner's judgment in a spreadsheet, not a repeatable, auditable process.
Planning cycles measured in weeks
By the time a revised plan is ready, the demand signal that triggered it has already changed.
Inventory excess and stock-outs, at once
Safety stock is set once and rarely revisited against real demand variability.
Logistics cost decided too late
Transportation is planned reactively, after production and procurement are already fixed.
