In industrial practice, a firm may simultaneously offer for sale a number of diverse products. In particular, different products in the portfolio may be offered for sale for different lengths of time, ranging from short (e.g., fashion products) to long (e.g., commodity products). Further, at any point in time, different products may be at different stages of their lifecycles. More generally, different products offered by the firm may have different staging potential. They and may also be sourced through different arrangements with suppliers. This paper outlines a Unified Supply Planning approach that allows improved supply planning in the situations described above. In doing so, it emphasizes the convergence of supply chain research models, industry IT systems and practical reality, especially in terms of modeling the demand forecasts, forecast accuracy, and the expected improvement of forecast accuracy over time.
supply chain management, supply chain planning, unified supply planning, staging potential, short lifecycle products, innovative products, style goods, fashion products, seasonal products.
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