Thinking ahead - demand & supply chain planning

Manufacturing & Logistics IT spoke with Ariel Weil, general manager of DynaSys, about the company's 29 years of experience in providing integrated and collaborative planning solutions, and the benefits of being part of the QAD group of companies.

From its initial origins in France, DynaSys has always adhered to what is fundamentally the same strategy; to provide the best solution suite for demand and supply chain planning. "This has always been our key focus," said Ariel Weil, the company's general manager. "We've never ventured in the direction of ERP, supply chain execution, or transportation management etc. Our staff have all the technology knowledge and passion to develop absolutely state-of-the-art tools; mainly comprising of demand forecasting and supply chain planning. Indeed, many of our personnel have been with us since the formation of the company some 29 years ago, and as a team we have the level of experience needed to run one of the most competitive companies in our field."

Weil reflected that demand and supply chain planning is one of the most important disciplines for manufacturers and retailers today. "Manufacturing companies in all vertical sectors need to manage minute pieces of information; they often need to manage millions of pieces of data and one cost constraint after another. This can be a very complex process, and something they need to get right on a regular basis in order to make the best decisions related to the production or procurement of goods and in what quantity. So they need to be very alert and very reactive."

Single-click collaboration technology

Weil explained that these were some of the core reasons why DynaSys developed functionality called Single Click Collaborative technology, as part of the company's Demand and Supply Chain Planning solutions suite (previously n.SKEP). Weil pointed out that Single Click Collaborative technology offers customers the flexibility they need for rapid, shared decision-making processes, and helps them to attain the agility they need to gain market share and improve competitiveness.

He added that this type of high-performance technology can ensure that companies obtain the most from their system. According to Weil, some of the key benefits of Single Click Collaborative technology include: Improved turnover and profitability; improved customer satisfaction; reduced inventory; reduced operating costs; and improved order fulfilment.

"Single Click Collaborative technology holds all your demand and supply chain data in a single memory source accessible by all authorised personnel within the organisation," said Weil. "You can be operating in a number of countries, you can have 10 or 20 plants and millions of SKUs, all the data in memory, and if one manager changes one piece of data in Thailand or the US this can be seen immediately in the UK, for example.

Having this visibility means you can then make fresh decisions based on this new information immediately." Weil also pointed out that customers can also rely on the full support of experienced DynaSys Supply Chain consultants, with proven industry experience in the food and beverage, consumer goods, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetics, distribution and retail industries.

Modular solution

Weil also explained that caching information in the database's memory in real time gives DynaSys the opportunity to develop its Demand and Supply Chain Planning tools as what is essentially one software solution. "We cover all the supply chain planning disciplines from the customer through to the suppliers," he said. "Just one technology is needed; users don't need a mix of technologies sourced from various solutions suppliers.

If the user sources tools from various suppliers and tries to interface them as one solution they may succeed with the integration but they probably won't have a consistent look and feel that makes daily operation as convenient as possible for the operators. Support could also be an issue if various different providers are involved. What manufacturers and retailers need is a single solution that is modular in format, so they only need to source the functionality they require, while also having the flexibility to add extra tools as and when needed. This is what we can offer at DynaSys."

Ready To Plan

Recently, DynaSys launched Ready To Plan 1.2 (RTP), a preconfigured Demand and Supply Chain Planning (SCP) solution for retail and manufacturing companies. It is also expanding its staff to better serve new and existing customers globally. "Strong growth in the in Europe, North America and French-speaking markets has resulted in an increased demand for Demand & Supply Chain Planning solutions provided by us," said Weil. In summary, Ready To Plan 1.2 addresses:

• Demand Planning: includes Sales Forecasting, Distribution Requirement Planning (DRP) and Analyses & Reporting. An accurate forecast is critical to supply chain optimisation; Demand Planning ensures delivery of more reliable logistics, sales and budgetary forecasts.

• Production Planning: includes Finite Capacity planning and Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP). Production Planning helps optimise plans to meet customer needs while respecting production constraints.

• Procurement Planning: optimises procurement activities; calculates order and delivery schedules based on requirements forecasts and checks the feasibility of the production plan with regard to raw materials, packaging and other materials.

• Ready To Plan 1.2 is designed to specifically meet the unique needs of global retailers, specialised distribution companies and manufacturers. It consists of a single database and is delivered as a preconfigured solution which reduces complexity and speeds implementation by up to 50 per cent.

"Ready To Plan 1.2 delivers a comprehensive planning solution that better serves retailers, specialised distribution companies and customers in the manufacturing industries," said Weil. "Our customers will be pleased with a new planning solution that is less complex, faster to implement and quicker to deliver ROI, all while providing robust and effective planning to ensure efficient operations in their respective industries."

QAD advantage

In 2012 DynaSys was acquired by QAD Inc., one of the world's leading providers of enterprise software and services for global manufacturing companies. At the time of the acquisition, QAD commented that it had a vision for the future where every customer could call themselves an Effective Enterprise, with every business process working at peak efficiency and perfectly aligned to their strategic goals.

QAD chairman and president, Pamela Lopker, said the acquisition would aid in making that vision a reality by adding additional strength to QAD's existing supply chain planning capabilities. She added that DynaSys was rich in both talent and technology, with exceptional customer commitment, and that QAD saw a strong cultural fit between the organisations.

Global presence

Weil said of the QAD acquisition: "As a company serving a diverse range of clients in Europe and operating in all core industry verticals, we have also always been dedicated to serving the global marketplace. This has now become an even bigger focus since our acquisition by QAD. For many years QAD has had a large number of established bases throughout the world, and this has meant we have been able to further leverage our level of demand and supply chain planning solution provision – together with service and support – into a wide number of global territories, with a strategic focus on emerging markets. We are now a truly global player and are constantly expanding our reach."

DynaSys at a glance

DynaSys S.A.S., a division of QAD Inc., provides Demand and Supply Chain Planning solutions. With 29 years of experience, DynaSys provides an integrated and collaborative planning solution that allows businesses to optimise their supply chains, including sales and operations planning, demand planning, network and inventory and business resources optimisations. DynaSys software enables customers and partners in the food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, life sciences, apparel, luxury, high tech, automotive, distribution and retail verticals to meet their goals of better managing Demand and Supply Chain Planning, and becoming more Effective Enterprises.