Supply Chain Planning and Scheduling Software

Supply chain planning is all about getting the right products to the right place at the right time for your customers and consumers, while keeping costs down and operations smooth. It's a strategic activity across your organization that coordinates everything from sourcing materials to manufacturing, distributing and delivering goods - all while boosting efficiency and staying in line with financial objectives.

Supply chain planning faces several critical challenges and risks that can hinder efficiency and profitability. Excess or obsolete inventory arises when businesses fail to create accurate forecasts based on historical sales and seasonal trends, leading to unsold stock. This ties directly into the issue of lost sales, as inaccurate demand planning results in product unavailability when customers are ready to buy.

Furthermore, organizations struggle with manual supply chain processes. Relying on manual methods for generating purchase, transfer and work orders leads to inefficiencies and delays in ensuring product availability. Another example is production bottlenecks which can disrupt the entire supply chain; without precise supply plans that account for lead times and pre-assemblies, materials may not arrive when needed for production, causing costly delays.

Modern technologies like AI make it possible for your supply chain to enhance efficiency, agility and resilience. Imagine optimizing your supply chain through intuitive conversations with advanced AI. Get simple answers to complex questions as humans and machines collaborate seamlessly for a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable future. This is where AI makes sense.

In the case of QAD DSCP, AI and advanced algorithms change the dynamics of our client’s supply chain planning activities by better forecasting demand, optimizing inventory levels and cleansing data to ensure information reliability with your enterprise systems. Learn more here.

A comprehensive supply chain planning solution typically includes modules such as demand planning, production planning, distribution (or network) planning, procurement planning, sales & operations planning (S&OP / IBP), advanced scheduling, financial planning, and analytics / optimization layers.

QAD’s DSCP uses advanced analytics, statistical models, and machine learning to generate more precise forecasts. It then iteratively refines these forecasts with actual demand data, tracks forecast error, and enables scenario simulations to adjust plans under changing conditions.

By better matching supply with actual or forecasted demand (rather than overproducing “just in case”), a planning system can minimize buffer stock, eliminate waste, and free up cash tied up in obsolete or redundant inventory. It also enables just-in-time replenishment and more accurate safety stock management.

Common challenges include data fragmentation (disparate systems, siloed data), low data quality or lack of master data governance, change management (getting teams to trust and use new plans), aligning cross-functional processes (sales, operations, procurement), and integrating planning into execution systems.

Modern planning platforms allow planners to run “what-if” scenarios (e.g. demand surges, supplier disruptions, production downtimes) and assess impacts instantly. This enables more resilient planning by giving visibility into risk, alternative sourcing, and adaptive responses before committing to a single plan.

Strong integration ensures the planning engine works off live, accurate data (e.g. inventory levels, order status, production constraints, shipment info). It also enables execution systems to receive plan orders seamlessly, supports closed-loop feedback, and ensures that plans are actionable rather than theoretical.