Different crisis, same messages Of course it is terrible to see how the COVID-19 crisis is spreading. First and foremost sympathy goes out to the patients or victims affected by the disease. In the media there are unlimited discussions about the disease, the origin or the fatality rates and comparisons with other diseases (like the influenza...
Implementing S&OP is simple but not easy; balancing supply and demand in the short and medium term should not be too difficult, although practice often shows otherwise. The biggest challenge in most cases is to create a process that adds so much value for the business that lasting buy-in is created from all stakeholders. The next step in S&OP...
The term DDMRP has been around since 2011 and has received much attention in recent years. The promises are big: improved service levels, inventory reductions of 30-40%, shorter delivery times (up to 80% reduction!) and minimal costs. Are the windows in your Supply Chain department already fogging up? DDMRP is based on the fact that variability...
Involvation has invented a truly unique learning concept called The Value Chain Academy, in which a tailor-made learning path is developed for each customer based on the existing learning needs and the target group. The options range from a short, one-off training programme to a worldwide, entirely in-house Supply Chain Academy (which we have...
In my previous blog I talked about the colours of yellow and blue: two behavioural styles from the DISC personality profile. A keen eye for detail, accuracy and caution are typical of blue behaviour, while yellow behaviour is characterized by taking the initiative, a short attention span, creativity and a high degree of interaction with others. ...
The war for talent is far from over. How should your business tackle it? How can you ensure that your company continues to attract and retain the right people? Here, Alfons Willemsen and Hans van der Drift, partners at Involvation, share their vision on the war for talent. According to Willemsen, there is an ongoing shortage of skilled...
'Change is the law of life' “Change is the law of life...” said John F. Kennedy during one of his speeches in 1963. This famous quote is more relevant for organisations today than ever before. The world around them is evolving increasingly quickly and companies are continuously involved in change – or at least they should be. But that’s not easy –...
Numerous articles have been published recently on the topics of no-touch planning and lights-out planning. The first thought that comes to my mind is whether planning requiring no intervention at all is indeed possible… and my second thought is whether that is desirable. Possible? Personally, I don’t think it’s possible to fully automate the...
I recently spoke to a supply chain manager who was a little frustrated because he didn’t feel appreciated by the rest of his organization, despite working tremendously hard. His team of supply planners comprises extremely professional and highly qualified people. As planning experts, they get the absolute most out of the resources and capacity...
In the chemical industry, the average S&OP process has a relatively high degree of maturity compared with other sectors. Nevertheless, chemical companies still face certain challenges when progressing from S&OP to IBP. We distinguish between the two as follows: S&OP is the decision-making process for ensuring the feasibility of the commercial...