​Lora Cecere, aka The Supply Chain Shaman, records her day spent with 120 Supply Chain leaders at a recent GAINSystems event where they explored five reasons why we're not making more progress on Inventory Management. 

Lora's article explores the five reasons: holistic thinking, planning system satisfaction, over-dependence on spreadsheets, rise in complexity and organisational alignment.

Read her article via Supply Chain Shaman.

​The same subject is also explored by Lora in her Supply Chain Insights podcast.

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​Frost & Sullivan has recently published research for Supply Chain Planning for MRO Industry, and has awarded GAINSystems with the Product Leadership Award.

According to Frost & Sullivan: “GAINSystems’ GAINS with its fully-integrated, end-to-end, highly manageable, dynamic, budget- or profit-optimised inventory policies, multiple exception-based solutions, and optimisation methods successfully addresses this need. GAINS delivers unmatched customer value, as MRO companies are able to reduce costs, profit-optimise their supply chain, and also provide the best service to their customers. The company has secured a clear competitive edge over other competing stand-alone, outdated solutions and manual planning efforts by offering unique optimisation capabilities including dynamic forecast model selection, cost-optimised inventory policies, and automated and optimised replenishment planning. GAINS’ optimisation methods take into account all the parameters and costs across an organisation to profit-optimise the service parts and maintenance supply chain.”
  
Click here to download the full report for a detailed analysis of supply chain planning for MRO.

Gartner recently published its Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning (SCP) System of Record (SOR). Pleasingly, GAINS' position has improved since the last report in 2016 from the Visionary Quadrant to the Leader Quadrant.

According to Gartner, “This Magic Quadrant examines vendors that provide SCP system-of-record solutions. Supply chain and IT leaders can use this research when evaluating and selecting a supply chain planning system to underpin their journey to Stage 3 supply chain planning maturity and beyond.”

GAINS is known for its holistic, single-solution approach empowers customers to concurrently plan across forecasting and demand, sales, inventory and operations planning (SI&OP), as well as inventory and replenishment optimisation. By applying powerful stochastic models, genetic algorithms, and machine learning (AI) to dynamically optimise complex supply chain interdependencies, error, and variability, GAINS ensures customers achieve their service levels while maximising profit and/or minimising costs.

Download the full report for a detailed analysis of supply chain planning trends and the market leading vendors via the GAINSystems website.

With summer upon us it's time to make plans for attending this year's GAINS Research Group (GRG) Conference, being held Tuesday October 2nd - Wednesday October 3rd, at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center in downtown Chicago.
 
Highlights of this year's event:

• Network with others in the GAINS user community
• Meet the GAINSystems people you only know as an email address or as a voice on the phone
• Hear directly from GAINSystems thought leaders on the "State of the Product"
• Sharpen the focus on how to apply GAINS most effectively to your specific industry or application area at the workshops, customer case studies, GAINSystems expert presentations.
• One-on-One discussions and reviews conducted by GAINS experts with you and your team to review the survey/ranking of your current usage of GAINS.

 
To Register: Please fill out the registration form on THIS PAGE. The event is free for all GAINS users.
 
Accommodations: GAINS have a group reservation and discount at the Embassy Suites, located at 511 N. Columbus Dr., Chicago, IL 60611 (1/2 block from the Gleacher Center). To take advantage of this special rate, please book through THIS PAGE by September 1st.
 
For more information: Visit THIS PAGE or email JBrager@GAINSystems.com 

At the upcoming Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference, 14 – 17 May 2018, in Phoenix, Arizona, attendees have the opportunity to get up close and personal with GAINSystems, a provider of modern, comprehensive supply chain and inventory optimisation solutions.
 
GAINSystems, a Platinum conference sponsor, would like to invite attendees to participate in the following on-site activities:

• Their Solution Provider Session on Wednesday, May 16th from 3:00pm-3:45pm in Grand Sonoran G. Hear the Inventory Planning & Logistics Manager from Safelite AutoGlass and the Director of Supply Chain at DynCorp International speak about implementing an advanced planning system, and how GAINS is used in their unique environments.
• A one-on-one meeting with GAINS senior management to discuss your SCP roadmap and share insights from their decades of experience as a leader in providing Planning and Optimisation Software solutions.

​To learn more about GAINS, contact GRA Supply Chain Consultants.

By Steve Christensen
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In her October 2017 Supply Chain Planning strategy document, Gartner analyst Amber Salley details 7 key considerations that help supply chain leaders overcome these challenges by narrowing the project focus, tackling data issues, building support and working with third parties. Figure 1 below, from the Gartner report, summarises those 7 points. Using our 4 decades of SCP solution experience we thought we’d offer our insight as well. Often it dovetails perfectly into the Gartner report. On a couple of occasions it differs slightly because of our recommended approach. 

​1. Treat Implementation as a Business Change Project
The implementation of an SCP project can impact the people and processes of your business. However, there is a first step in the GAINS® implementation process that enables SCP to impact the results without changing the people and the process. This enables you to reap the rewards of SCP without the risk/disruption of implementing broad behavioural and procedural changes to all of the stakeholders mentioned in the report.
 
2. Build a Business Case
Nothing builds a business case like actual results. GAINSystems has been creating actual results for customers BEFORE they commit to a project and wide scope implementation by running an IIPSE (Inventory Investment, Profit and Service Evaluation). You can capture the obvious value that is guiding the overall project need (i.e. inventory and service levels, profit, expansion) while defining the full business case. This allows you to start your migration toward Better, without delaying the start, while trying to define perfection (never achievable anyway).
 
3. Staff Adequately
Nothing gets done without sufficient resources and executive sponsorship. With the incremental approach we’ve referenced in 1 & 2 above, you can limit the amount of staff and sponsorship required in the early stages while you get actual results. Later, as the paths to further results become obvious, you can expand the scope of the resources and executive sponsorship required. It is much easier to state to an executive that you’ve already improved your key business need without disruption, and that you’d like to see if you can help them with their own key business need(s).
 
4. Minimise Configuration
There are two portions of any project that take the most time and can cause the most disruption and delay. Configuration/Customisation of the processes is number two. Gartner recommends: “Take the time to re-engineer the business processes to fit out of the box system capability, often delivered by best-practice templates, and use a custom configuration only in limited cases. These include instances where out of the box functionality is not the right answer or business processes can’t be changed.” We agree. Ideally the role of the SCP alongside the rest of your existing processes is complimentary.

If the process of the SCP ultimately replaces an existing process, adopting the “standard” process of the SCP solution will reduce project effort and time. However, there are instances where you should modify the process to accommodate your business. Those changes should be undertaken with extreme caution if only to avoid the time delay.
 
One way to minimise configuration is to put SCP product training as part of the project kick-off. Starting a project kick-off with a clean sheet of paper and allowing the project team to narrate what they’d like it to be will result in an overly complicated process flow that elongates the time and increases the risk for the project.
 
People are naturally resistant to change. To understand how to manage that tendency we recommend reading the book Switch by the Heath brothers. It is a practical guide that allows you to identify why people resist change and how to get them to embrace change.
 
5. Focus on Data
The most challenging aspect of any project is the data. Amber writes, “Data integrity should be resolved before an SCP technology project is implemented so that users don’t lose faith. Resources should be applied in the beginning to verify data and cleanse the data.” This is all good advice because the old adage, garbage in – garbage out, applies unequivocally to an SCP solution.
 
However, there is a slightly different approach that we advocate to our customers. The reason your data is suspect is because the ERP or other existing systems allow it to be suspect. That isn’t going to change. So instead of fighting the inevitable “dirty data,” GAINS implements filters that identify the dirty data and excludes it from the system. This creates the opportunity to quickly adopt and use data that is “clean.” It builds the list of data that requires resolution against which GAINS can actually help.
 
As an example, let’s say that there are 1,000 historic order details available for a widget. Of those 1,000 records, 20% of the data is incomplete. GAINS will tag the dirty data and utilise the 800 records that are clean. From the 800 records, and using Machine Learning, we can discover how to clean the dirty data. In the meantime, the 800 records serve as the data basis upon which SCP can process with a 20% uplift in critical areas such as quantity, etc.
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In other words, don’t let dirty data slow down your project. It will always be there. Build a robust process to identify it, and account for its missing impact on the rest of the clean data. Machine Learning will quickly create the appropriate filters that clean dirty data captured by the first set of filters.
 
6. Build Realistic Timeline
Managing expectations is a critical aspect of a project. Timelines are one of the most obvious. However, instead of building a timeline with a single “go-live” date somewhere out in the future, build a project plan that has multiple go-live dates on smaller scales of impact.
 
In points 1 and 2 above we introduced the opportunity to have a low/zero impact implementation of GAINS. This can be done in a quick timeframe with very little to no disruption to your people or processes. Subsequent expansions of the SCP can then be incrementally deployed to increase the value achieved.
In fact, we believe this incremental deployment is aligned with the maturity that Gartner references in SCP. It is unwise to eat an entire elephant in one sitting. Even pretending that you can define and scope the ‘to-be’ process and project is naïve. Instead, recognise that your supply chain and its needs are constantly changing. Internal and external market factors contribute to a constantly moving target. Build your project approach to be on-going with proven results delivered early and often throughout the life of your supply chain.
 
7. Manage Third Party Support
This is certainly important if you choose to bring in an outside resource beyond your employees and those of your SCP solution. It is challenging enough to coordinate your own employees and the SCP vendor’s resources. Adding in a third party integrator amplifies the project risk, overrun and cost factors by a significant factor. Its typically more successful when the third party integrator acts at the higher level as project management to ensure both the customer and vendor are keeping commitments, rather than an active part in the customer project.
 
Source: “Implement Your Supply Chain Planning Technology on Time and on Budget With These 7 Actions,” 4 October 2017, Amber Salley

Click here for access to the full report.

GAINS is pleased to announce five new distribution clients:

• ABSA Group
• BlackHawk Industrial
• Randa Accessories
• Safelite AutoGlass
• United Performance Metals

Caught between demanding customers, rising costs and paper thin margins, distribution operations are finding supply chain optimisation more important than ever.

With GAINS, distributors dramatically improve service levels and mix, especially when planning sporadic demand for long-tail items.

GAINS’ holistic approach combines demand and replenishment planning with powerful inventory optimisation methods. The solution ensures that inventory is balanced to meet customer service requirements.

ABSA Group is a leading wholesale distributor for automation, industrial control and communications products in Mexico. ABSA is a Rockwell Automation authorized distributor.

BlackHawk Industrial is an industrial distributor that offers manufacturing services while creating innovative engineered supply solutions, and a priority to offering local and personal customer service.

Randa Accessories is the world’s largest men’s accessories company that creates and expands powerful brands, exceptional products, and extraordinary shopping experiences.
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Safelite AutoGlass is the largest auto glass specialist in the United States, with more than 720 locations serving 6 million customers per year, repairs windshields and side glass to protect customers and their families.

United Performance Metals is an O’Neal Industries affiliate company, is a global distributor of high performance metals serving customers in various industries including aerospace, fastener, medical, power generations, oil and gas, semiconductor, and more.

“Our strength in forecasting long-tail demand and optimising complex multi-echelon supply chains makes GAINS an especially strong fit for distributors,” commented Bill Benton, CEO of GAINSystems. “End-to-end optimisation is particularly important for companies with both distribution and retail operations like Randa and Safelite.”

These distributors join an impressive roster of companies that have reduced inventory investment while still meeting service level goals.

​The comprehensive and optimised GAINS approach can help them thrive and grasp new opportunities, even as demands and conditions change.

​Ramco has announced that Panasonic Avionics Corporation selected Ramco Aviation M&E MRO Suite V5.8 to run its operation. The announcement was made last week at the start of its annual MRO user convention.

Is this the start of something bigger for Ramco?

The announcement comes at a time when Ramco is trying to expand into the US. It has had some success in Canada, but this is probably its biggest customer for MRO in the USA. Canadian wins include Conair and LS3-MAS. The software will help to streamline and integrate the Panasonic Technical services activities. The scope of the project is large. Panasonic have more than 64 line stations, 7 repair stations across more than 35 countries with over 2000 users.

The solution will support service program management, repair, line maintenance, supply chain management, technical services, compliance and quality, MRO Sales and other functions. Panasonic Avionics will also implement Ramco’s Advanced Planning & Optimisation Solution. This includes GAINSystems Supply Chain software which is embedded within the Ramco ERP. That integration was announced in 2015 and is clearly benefitting both parties. Interestingly, GainSystems announced the Panasonic Avionic win in June this year along with five others. Those companies also included Columbia Helicopter, Great Plains Energy, Telstra and Turtle & Hughes Integrated Supply. Columbia helicopters went live on Ramco in February 2014.

The Ramco software will be implemented across the Panasonic Avionics corporation. The company works with more than 300 leading airlines, developing and installing in-flight entertainment and communications (IFEC) solutions. If the implementation is a success and Panasonic Avionics becomes a customer advocate for Ramco it, should boost the ERP’s standing.

Competitive tender

This was not a straight forward win. Panasonic Avionics is part of a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation. Both Oracle and SAP are in use within the wider organisation of Panasonic. Other vendors were also probably included in the list at least of potential suppliers, possibly Infor and IFS.

Sean Gavin, Vice President, Technical Services, Panasonic Avionics Corporation commented: “Innovation and customer service combined with regulatory compliance and safety are at the forefront of everything we do at Panasonic Avionics. We chose Ramco after evaluating numerous aviation software players in the industry based on its comprehensive functionality and adaptability to our needs. Closely connecting and integrating the activities of multiple functions within Panasonic Technical Services will allow us to improve the quality of the services we offer our customers. Better management of highly complex operations and increased visibility/control of resource utilisation will improve performance outcomes.”

What does this mean?

This is a significant global win for the Ramco team as they look to increase their share of the aerospace MRO market. In itself it is noteworthy. However, if Ramco can leverage this installation to further extend their reach into other MRO companies then it could become a very significant win. Marque brands are critically important to vendors and in Panasopnic Avionics, Ramco has a potential introduction into 300 of its customers. As well as the wider aerospace market who are also aware of the Panasonic Avionics brand and reputation.

Virender Aggarwal, CEO, Ramco Systems commented: “We are very excited to announce Panasonic Avionics as our client in the presence of our users and partners. Through this partnership, Ramco’s future-ready Aviation suite will effortlessly address the complex functionalities and requirements of Panasonic Avionics, while seamlessly integrating with their existing solutions. The strong integrated ecosystem between GAINS & Ramco, and our relentless commitment around innovation and automation is helping us win the trust of large brands, globally.”

If 2017 continues with further big announcements such as this one, then Ramco could be on target for a year of record growth.


Source: Enterprise Times

Ability to Rapidly Pivot from Maximising Service to Minimising Inventory Key for leaders across Aviation, Energy, Industrial Supply and Telecom Industries

GAINS has recently announced five new clients: Columbia Helicopter, Great Plains Energy, Panasonic Aviation, Telstra and Turtle & Hughes Integrated Supply.

• Telstra Australia’s leading telecommunications and technology company, offering a full range of communications services including 17.4 million mobile services, 6.8 million fixed voice services and 3.5 million retail fixed broadband services.
• Columbia Helicopter a global leader in heavy-lift helicopter operations, and a trusted expert in MRO services that operates a fleet of the most versatile helicopters in global operations.
•  Great Plains Energy The holding company of Kansas City Power and Light a regulated provider of electricity serving more than 800,000 customers in a service area of 18,000 square miles in two states with 3,000 miles of transmission lines, 24,000 miles of distribution lines and over 400 substations.
• Panasonic Aviation a leading supplier of inflight entertainment and communication systems known for its global turnkey support organisation that delivers proactive maintenance and repair services for system reliability, availability, and performance.
• Turtle & Hughes Integrated Supply an MRO supplier with proven leadership in the industrial supply market by partnering with many Fortune 500 companies to reduce their total cost of ownership.
  
  
  

With GAINS’ holistic, single-solution approach customers can concurrently plan across forecasting and demand, sales, inventory and operations planning (SI&OP), as well as inventory and replenishment optimisation. 

“Our customers have reported significant improvement in customer service level while lowering inventory assets. They truly rely on GAINS to create competitive advantage through supply chain excellence,” commented Bill Benton, CEO of GAINSystems.

By working with GAINS these operators will maintain excellent service speed and reduce inventory investment while reducing operating costs.

On average, organisations adopting GAINS decrease inventory asset requirements by 20-30% while improving service levels 10-20% and dramatically reducing stock-outs and their related costs. Parts sales organisations typically improve market share by 5-10% and improve pre-tax profits 2-4%. Maintenance organisations reduce machine downtime significantly at any given budget level and reduce indirect costs of downtime such as performance contract penalties dramatically.

GAINSystems, a provider of modern, comprehensive supply chain and inventory optimisation solutions, announced that the company will bring together a group of supply chain leaders for a panel session entitled “Think of Everything: Mastering Multi-Echelon Inventory and Supply Targets” during the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference 2017.

The panel will feature GAINS customers, Graco and Textron Aviation, and Ph.D. professor of machine learning who is also a strategist for GAINSystems. These thought leaders will share both real-world experience and a vision of how machine learning will lead to unprecedented consistency and efficiency for companies that aspire to create competitive advantage through supply chain excellence.

The session focuses on one of the thorniest supply chain problems, sustaining target levels of inventory and service simultaneously across complex multi-echelon bills-of-materials and distribution networks. These supply chain experts will provide insight on how to advance through multiple levels of maturity in inventory optimization in order to sustain targets successfully. The session will also include a discussion on the future role and benefits of machine learning in planning.

During the session on May 24, GAINSystems’ CEO Bill Benton will moderate the panel which includes: 

• Darrell Elkinton, Manager - Aftermarket Inventory for Textron Aviation and Six Sigma Black Belt with over 12 years in supply chain operations. Textron Aviation is the leading general aviation authority and home to the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands, which account for more than 50% of all general aviation aircraft.
• Bernie Knox, Materials Manager responsible for demand and inventory management of worldwide manufacturing distribution for Graco, Inc., a leading provider of premium pumps and spray equipment for fluid handling in the construction, manufacturing, processing and maintenance industries.
• Chandler Johnson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Strategy and Machine Learning instructor at BI Norwegian Business School and a thought leader in applying machine learning to real-world operations. Dr. Johnson’s academic background includes a Masters’ in Statistics and Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University.

“With the impressive results that Textron and Graco will be sharing, attendees will see the profound impact of inventory optimization. We are proud to help all our customers make giant strides in their journey towards supply chain excellence, no matter where they start,” commented Bill Benton, CEO of GAINSystems.
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GAINSystems will also be displaying its holistic approach to supply chain planning and optimization at booth 200 in the Solution Showcase of this Gartner-hosted conference from May 23-25 in Phoenix, AZ. GAINSystems’ supply chain experts will be available to talk one-on-one with attendees and demonstrate advanced solutions to today’s supply chain challenges.

About GAINSystems 
GAINSystems combines an innovative approach and comprehensive supply chain optimisation solutions to think of everything - delivering amazing results with very little risk. Their holistic approach considers comprehensive error and variability across supply, demand and operations producing inventory optimisation that dynamically addresses every SKU by location across the enterprise.
With our proven breakthrough methodology, companies such as the Australian Defence Forces, Benco Dental, Broan-NuTone, Textron Aviation, Officeworks and Sonepar/Vallen consistently see superior results including lower inventories, reduced operating costs, increased plan accuracy and higher service - ultimately leading to higher EBITDA and/or mission readiness.

To learn more about GAINS, contact GRA Supply Chain Consultants.

The Supply Chain Business Institute (SCBI) and GRA Supply Chain Consultants have just announced new course dates for Demand & Supply Planning Excellence.

This two-day course reviews the fundamental levers for optimising service levels, inventory costs and inventory levels as well as forecasting techniques and strategies for different inventory types. In addition, participants review the techniques and tools required to take their forecasting and inventory management capabilities to the next level and achieve Demand & Supply Planning excellence.

Melbourne – July 11-12
Sydney – July 18-19

This practical two-day course aims to give participants an understanding of the techniques and tools required to take their demand, inventory and supply planning capabilities to the next level and deliver “best in class” performance.
This course will:

• Educate in the principles of forecasting & inventory management
• Provide a ‘how to’ framework for their application
• Explore the pros and cons of different forecasting and inventory management approaches
• Assess the impact that improved forecasting & inventory management can have on business performance
• Discuss successful implementation approaches
• Identify opportunities for participants to apply the knowledge they have gained in the course within their own organisations

Early Bird Offer
Register and pay by 16/6/2017 to receive the Early Bird price of $1995 +GST.

Register your interest at the Supply Chain Business Institute website.

GAINSystems, a dynamic provider of advanced supply chain and inventory optimisation solutions, announced several recent manufacturing customer wins. GAINSystems was selected by Ecolab, Liberty Hardware, Mayline, and Paladin Attachments, further extending an impressive roster of manufacturing customers. 

With GAINSystems’ holistic, single-solution approach these customers can concurrently plan across forecasting and demand, sales, inventory and operations planning (SI&OP), as well as inventory and replenishment optimisation. Ranging from consumer goods to industrial equipment manufacturers, these companies have complex global supply chains that require advanced solutions: 

• Ecolab - the global leader in water, hygiene, and energy technologies and services for businesses around the world in the foodservice, food processing, hospitality, healthcare, industrial, and oil and gas markets.
• Liberty Hardware - a manufacturer of high quality decorative and functional hardware products that are offered though home centers, retailers, and distribution channels across the country.
• Mayline -- an office furniture manufacturer serving the majority of the Fortune 500 companies that is committed to providing outstanding customer service and experience, with extensive experience in the retail market.
• Paladin Attachments -- one of the largest independent manufacturers of coupler systems and attachment tools that also specializes in custom capabilities for carriers from small compact tool carriers to large excavators, wheel loaders, tractors and truck chassis.

These manufacturers’ reputations rely on their quality, service and supply chain reliability. All four organisations have multiple separate product lines, and three of the four have multiple brands or divisions that are easily accommodated with GAINS’ highly flexible configuration. Clearly, GAINSystems and its streamlined deployment is a good fit regardless of company size, as these companies range from hundreds of employees to large multi-nationals.

“By working closely with these companies during their evaluations, we demonstrated the ability to accurately optimize trade-offs to maximize each manufacturer’s profits. The ease and speed at which we can provide results that improve strategic and executive decision making can be a real game changer for manufacturers in competitive markets,” stated Bill Benton, CEO of GAINSystems.
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By working with GAINSystems these manufacturers will reduce inventory investment and increase service levels while improving profit margins. On average, manufacturers adopting GAINS reduce inventory 20%-40%, increase planning productivity 15%-30%, and reduce premium freight 40%-80%.

GAINSystems announced that customers including Lawson Products, Entrust Datacard and Textron Aviation will present at the upcoming GAINS Research Group (GRG) to be hold in Chicago, US. In addition, GAINSystems will showcase new and proposed functionality and usability advances to garner customer feedback.

This highly interactive annual customer gathering will take place September 22-23 and includes a mix of sessions applicable to all customers.

Clients presenting represent a range of industries: Lawson Products is an industrial products distributor; Entrust Datacard makes identity and secure transaction technologies; and Textron Aviation uses GAINS for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).

A tremendously valuable aspect of the GRG is the opportunity for customers to meet one-on-one with GAINSystems experts to discuss their current usage of GAINS. These usage assessment reviews ensure each customer understands how to get the full benefits of leveraging this holistic approach to tame variability in their specific supply chain. Beyond the presentations and one-on-one sessions, the agenda includes opportunities to network with peers and GAINSystems team members.
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This year for the first time, GAINSystems is inviting select members of the press and analyst community to enrich the conversations. After gaining significant recognition for its leadership in the supply chain market over the past two years, GAINSystems is opening the door to this exclusive event to help industry influencers understand how it builds such winning products and lifetime relationships with customers.

The Supply Chain Business Institute (SCBI) has announced new course dates for one of its most popular and well received short courses, Demand & Supply Planning Excellence.

This two-day course reviews the fundamental levers for optimising service levels, inventory costs and inventory levels as well as forecasting techniques and strategies for different inventory types. In addition, participants review the techniques and tools required to take their forecasting and inventory management capabilities to the next level and achieve Demand & Supply Planning excellence.

Sydney – JULY 19th & 20th
Melbourne – OCTOBER 20th & 21st

This practical two-day course aims to give participants an understanding of the techniques and tools required to take their demand, inventory and supply planning capabilities to the next level and deliver “best in class” performance.

This course will:

• Educate in the principles of forecasting & inventory management
• Provide a ‘how to’ framework for their application
• Explore the pros and cons of different forecasting and inventory management approaches
• Assess the impact that improved forecasting & inventory management can have on business performance
• Discuss successful implementation approaches
• Identify opportunities for participants to apply the knowledge they have gained in the course within their own organisations
  
  

Early Bird Offer

Register and pay by 24/6/2016 for Sydney course and 23/9/2016 for Melbourne course to receive the Early Bird price of $1995 +GST.

Click here to register your interest. 

The Supply Chain Business Institute (SCBI) has just announced new course dates for one of its most popular and well received short courses, Demand & Supply Planning Excellence.
This two-day course reviews the fundamental levers for optimising service levels, inventory costs and inventory levels as well as forecasting techniques and strategies for different inventory types. In addition, participants review the techniques and tools required to take their forecasting and inventory management capabilities to the next level and achieve Demand & Supply Planning excellence.
Sydney – JULY 19th & 20th
Melbourne – OCTOBER 20th & 21st
This practical two-day course aims to give participants an understanding of the techniques and tools required to take their demand, inventory and supply planning capabilities to the next level and deliver “best in class” performance.
This course will:

• Educate in the principles of forecasting & inventory management
• Provide a ‘how to’ framework for their application
• Explore the pros and cons of different forecasting and inventory management approaches
• Assess the impact that improved forecasting & inventory management can have on business performance
• Discuss successful implementation approaches
• Identify opportunities for participants to apply the knowledge they have gained in the course within their own organisations

Early Bird Offer
Register and pay by 24/6/2016 for Sydney course and 23/9/2016 for Melbourne course to receive the Early Bird price of $1995 +GST.
Click here to register your interest. 

Recognition based on Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute

GAINS, the advanced supply chain and inventory optimisation solution, has been recognised by Gartner as a 'Visionary' in the Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning (SCP) System of Record (SOR).

GAINS is positioned in the Magic Quadrant as the highest for 'Ability to Execute' within the Visionaries quadrant, which we believe is a testament to its industry-leading R&D investments.

"Companies often cite our innovative approach when selecting GAINS, and it’s an honor to be recognised by Gartner, the leading industry analyst firm, as a one of the top Visionaries as measured by Completeness of Vision,” said Bill Benton, CEO of GAINSystems. "Our customers value our technology, domain expertise and customer focus which consistently delivers high value and measurable results to manufacturers, distributors, repair operations and retailers around the globe.”

This recognition comes as GAINS’ momentum as a rising force in the market accelerates. The software's expanded product footprint and substantially increased international presence are driving rapid growth.

As the report highlights, SCP SOR is “an area that Gartner finds many companies are investing in to provide a strong foundational planning layer on which to subsequently build their more differentiating and innovating capabilities.”

​GAINS is known for its holistic, single-solution approach that empowers customers to concurrently plan across forecasting and demand, sales, inventory and operations planning (SI&OP), as well as inventory and replenishment optimisation. By applying powerful stochastic models and genetic algorithms to dynamically optimise complex supply chain interdependencies, error and variability, GAINS ensures customers achieve their service levels while maximising margins and/or minimising costs.

If you would like a complimentary copy of the Gartner report, visit www.gainsystems.com

From Business Standard

Ramco Systems rose 1.92% to Rs 768.25 at 14:55 IST on BSE after the company announced entering into a strategic partnership with GAINSystems, Inc.

The announcement was made during trading hours today, 19 November 2015...

...Ramco Systems and GAINSystems, Inc., today, 19 November 2015 announced entering into a strategic partnership to offer their world-class, fully-embedded and integrated solution to the aviation industry. Through this partnership Ramco will embed GAINSystems' Supply Chain Planning and Inventory Optimisation solution to its aviation offering, and offer it to both its new and existing customers of aviation series 5.

GAINSystems, Inc. is a leader in Supply Chain Planning and Inventory optimisation solutions.

On a consolidated basis, Ramco Systems' net profit surged 213.6% to Rs 9.91 crore on 23.3% rise in total income to Rs 107.75 crore in Q2 September 2015 over Q2 September 2014.

Ramco Systems provides next generation, end-to-end enterprise solutions that render complete transformation of the business in real time. The company offers ERP, EAM, Fleet Management, HCM, CRM, Financials, Service Management, Process Control, Project Management and Analytics to multiple verticals on the most appropriate cloud modelpublic, private and community.

Read the original news item at Business Standard.

Ramco Systems, the global Aviation software provider on cloud, mobile & tablets, and GAINSystems, Inc., a global leader in supply chain management and supply chain optimisation, recently announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership to offer their world-class, fully-embedded and integrated solution to the Aviation industry.

Through this partnership Ramco will embed GAINSystems’ Supply Chain Planning and Inventory Optimisation solution, GAINS, to its Aviation offering, and offer it to both its new and existing customers of Aviation Series 5.

“Ramco and GAINSystems are both recognised in the aviation industry for applying their deep experience in meeting the needs of the world’s leading fleet operators and MRO providers. Over many years of supporting our customer base in aviation services, we have invested significant development efforts into product enhancements that address the very specific needs of this market,” said Bill Benton, CEO, GAINSystems.  “The Ramco partnership allows us to leverage this investment and, with Ramco’s deep expertise, provide the aviation market a uniquely-suited, comprehensive suite of aviation-specific solutions.”

Virender Aggarwal, CEO, Ramco Systems, added “Having established a strong foothold in the Aviation IT market, we realised there are a few surround applications which can further enhance the value a customer reaps from technology. To address aviation related supply chain management and optimisation, we chose to partner with GAINSystems. Our partnership with GAINS will help us deliver an embedded best-in-class total Aviation Supply Chain solution, which will help our clients and prospective customers get a seamless experience.”

The aviation industry has been experiencing challenges of consolidation, greater competition, increased reporting and tracking requirements, while being pressured to reduce costs, improve supply chain efficiency and shareholder return. There is a clear recognition that operating reactively is no longer an option. The Ramco and GAINSystems partnership brings together two recognised industry leaders, with a powerful set of solutions to address this most unique and important global market.

GAINS University will be holding classes from November 4th - 6th 2015 at the GAINS corporate headquarters in Chicago, US.  

This will be GAINS' third and final in house training session of 2015.

The next session will be held in April of 2016.  

Some key new agenda topics include (to which all customers have access with V8.6+):

• Facilitating GAINS Engagement via the new GAINS Mobile App (iPad, iPhone, other tablets)
• Advanced Dashboard/KPI Usage
• Sales, Inventory, & Operations Planning (SI&OP) Techniques
• Inventory Optimization Simulation (e.g., bolstering SI&OP)

Below are more details on the Agenda and a link to registration. 

Each year GAINSystems hosts a GAINS Resource Group (GRG) conference in Chicago, Illinois.  

One of the strengths of the GAINS advanced planning system is the level of investment and development that is put into the tool each and every year; this presents GAINS users with continuous opportunities to further optimise their supply chain planning capabilities but also means it can be difficult to keep pace with everything that is available.

The GRG is a forum for GAINS customers to not just learn more about the GAINS suite via education workshops, but also influence the future development of GAINS and shape future functionality.  

Here is a comment from a previous GRG attendee:

"Clifford Hallam has found the GRG to be of considerable benefit in assisting us to reach, and exceed, our goals.  The open nature of the GRG, with clear discussions on multiple areas of GAINS, has led to a greater understanding of the system allowing us to fine tune various processes to our benefit.  Knowing where improvements and adjustments are taking the system has helped facilitate numerous time and money saving changes in our organisation."
- Julian Kerr-Lawley, Demand Planner

This year's conference is on 24-25 September 2015, at the Gleacher Center in downtown Chicago. 

The agenda overview below is intended to help you make your decision to attend. For more information, please feel free to call Luke Tomkin at GRA Supply Chain Consultants in Melbourne on (03) 9421 4611.

Agenda Overview:
In a similar format to previous years, this year's conference will consist of several development presentations and application workshops. On the first day, we will review the state of GAINS and present some of the many improvements delivered in the past year. We will also present several topics of interest to the whole group. Thursday we will begin at 9am and continue through the day until 5pm. 

On the second day we will break into smaller groups (by application type / industry) to allow you to focus on areas most-salient to your organization. Sessions will include a forum for GAINS User Interface suggestions, a workshop on Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SI&OP), performance management & reporting capabilities, and more. GAINSystems' team of GAINS experts will lead one-on-one discussions with your organization and review the survey/ranking of your current usage of GAINS. 

The first workshop session on Friday begins at 8:30am and we target the last session to conclude at 2pm. The one-on-one discussion and review of current GAINS usage with GAINS experts can be scheduled after 2pm if scheduling requires it or a longer session is desired. 

To register, please visit the GAINSystems website. 

GAINS Asia Pacific has revealed the company's new website.

The site showcases client case studies from the Asia Pacific as well as across the globe. 

In partnership with GRA Supply Chain Consultants, GAINS has been implemented across the Asia Pacific over the last two decades. 

The best-of-breed inventory management software is increasingly being used successfully by clients such as Super Cheap Auto, Mitre 10, Honda, Officeworks, Wesfarmers and the Australian Defence Forces.