While always omnipresent, the last years have shown to a broader public that supply chains are the life-support of almost any company, and that even the smallest disturbances in those supply chains can lead to major disruptions. Sourcing goods, to make your products or support your operations, has always been a challenge in itself, but is currently vastly exacerbated by geopolitical, economic, and environmental influences, if not flat-out disasters.

Though it is very often perceived as just being some logistic activity to bring stuff from A to Z, proper supply chain management requires a thorough understanding of the end-to-end processes and top-down/bottom-up decision structures. This 3-day course helps you acquire the necessary basic insights to start getting that holistic view and turning that supply chain into a reliable and resilient backbone to your company.

In 3 days, we will

· lay the foundations of supply chain management

· expand your knowledge on various planning challenges such as demand, inventory and supply planning

· get an understanding of how they interact & what you can do to harmonize them

· gain new insights & boost your S&OP maturity – and more

· sharpen your vision during peer-to-peer and cross-industry discussions

· challenge yourself to look beyond your own role & responsibilities

· gather working points to enable further alignment in your supply chain processes

· connect to fellow supply chain professionals by sharing best practices and joining interactive discussions

· look at the crucial role of your supply chain in strategic topics such as sustainability

Day 1. Dynamics in the Supply Chain – Preparing the Foundations

· Morning: Supply Chain Dynamics and Introduction to S&OP

o Discover the dynamics in managing supply chains

o Understand the tension and balance between service, cost and cash

o Get introduced to S&OP as being the supporting process to bring balance in the supply chain triangle by enabling cross-functional decision making

· Afternoon: Understanding and Planning Demand

o Discover and discuss drivers for demand

o Understand how quantitative and qualitative approaches can work in unison

o Learn the demand planning process best practices, and reflect on steps to make this a true cornerstone of the supply chain management process

Day 2. Supporting the Company – Supply Chain as the Backbone

· Morning: Understanding and Planning Inventory

o Discover the different purposes of inventory

o Understand the different replenishment methods that are available

o Translate to inventory targets and see how planning and managing these is a key enabler for balancing the supply chain triangle

· Afternoon: Understanding and Planning Supply

o Discover the different planning levels and horizons and their functions

o Understand how to account for complexity and constraints in the supply plan

o See how crucial it is to link and combine the different planning levels to provide the right information on the right level on the right moment

Day 3. Implementing and Maturing – Integration in the Company

· Morning: Bringing it together with Executive S&OP

o Discover the challenges in turning S&OP into a real decision-making process

o Understand how segmentation will help in keeping the right focus

o Link your supply chain with your strategy

o Disclose gaps in your current S&OP organization and find ways to the process so it becomes a heartbeat at the center of the organization

· Afternoon: Extension to Current Day Challenges

o Understand the role supply chains play in supporting your sustainability goals

o Find opportunities to implement circular principles in your supply chain and learn how to manage the challenges

o Get insight into the current sustainability frameworks that matter most to you

The entire workshop facilitates interactive discussions and practical exercises.