IFS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
IFS/DEMAND PLANNING
IFS/Demand PlanningTM reduces the complexity of forecasting through one of the most sophisticated and easy-to-use
graphical demand planning tools on the market today. Its highly interactive forecasting environment allows you to quickly
create and adjust demand forecasts for input into other key enterprise activities such as sales planning, inventory control
and production.
TAKE THE MYSTERY OUT OF FORECASTING
IFS/Demand Planning allows you to plan using visual graphs of forecasts, rather than spending all your time in the
abstract world of statistics and formulas. With this highly interactive tool, you can quickly fine-tune forecasts by directly
manipulating the forecast graphic. The system automatically calculates and immediately displays the corresponding
values in formula and statistic fields. And because the user interface of IFS/Demand Planning has a lot of built-in
flexibility, you can view exactly the data fields and graphical
components you want to see—no more, no less.
IMPROVE YOUR FOCUS TO INCREASE ACCURACY
IFS/Demand Planning helps you prioritize your forecasting
time. You can automate the forecasting process, so you have
time to focus on demand plans for your most important items
or resolve problems for those forecasts that need additional
attention. You can easily handle changing business needs,
adjusting for marketing campaigns, new or replacement
products, or other market factors. IFS/Demand Planning
multi-dimensional views for pyramid forecasting enable you to
focus at just the right level. Advanced seasonal algorithms and
a profile library help minimize the time-consuming job of
defining seasonal profiles.
Flexible and Intuitive Graphical User Interface
COLLABORATE, COMMUNICATE, INTEGRATE
With IFS/Demand Planning, multiple users can simultaneously review and give input on demand plans, shortening
review cycles and supporting development of the best forecasts through a controlled collaboration process. Import or
export to any Microsoft Windows application or send forecasts via email to communicate with key peers and
management.
Like all IFS modules, IFS/Demand Planning integrates with your IFS enterprise and supply chain system without the
need for expensive system integrators. Use IFS/Demand Planning with IFS/Master Scheduling, IFS/MRP, and
IFS/CRP to streamline your production scheduling and sales and operation planning processes. Update your forecasts
with real-time actual demands to enable tracking and stock-out early warnings by integrating IFS/Customer Orders.
IFS/DEMAND PLANNING – FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW
INTUITIVE, VISUAL, AND AUTOMATED FORECASTING
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Meaningful, understandable forecast graphics support direct manipulation for simulation and finessing forecasts
visually.
Customizable views display only the data or elements you want.
Forecast qualifying algorithm allows you to quickly select parts for forecasting.
To find out how IFS can help your organization maintain its competitive edge, call 1.888.437.4968, e-mail request@ifsworld.com or visit www.ifsworld.com.
IFS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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Automated or manual forecasting or a combination of both ensures that you stay in control. Automated
forecasting employs an advanced best-fit algorithm to analyze data, automatically select the best forecast model,
and optimize the parameters.
Automatic or manual grouping of like items saves planners time and offers maximum flexibility.
Multi-dimensional views for pyramid forecasting enable you to roll up or cascade forecasts.
INCREASED ACCURACY
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Full set of forecast error measures, including Mean Error, Mean Absolute Error, Mean Absolute Percentage Error,
Theil’s U-statistic, and others.
Management by Exception (MBE) support, so you can automate forecasting processes and focus only on the
“exceptions”— your “A” item forecasts, more complex forecasts, or outliers on individual forecasts.
Advanced support for marketing events and new or replacement parts allow you to quickly adjust forecasts to
accurately reflect changing conditions or markets.
Tracking signal to automatically measure forecast bias.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITY AND INTEGRATION
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Comprehensive set of twelve different forecasting models, including Brown’s Level and Trend, Croston’s
Intermittent, Multiple Regression, Best Fit, among others.
Multiple regressions allow addition of other time series to forecasts.
Planning and budget support allows you to create sales plans and budgets, and plot them against actual and latest
forecasts.
Desktop integration lets you import or export to any Microsoft Windows application or send forecasts via email for
review.
Support for multi-site server with replication and aggregation. Input the results from one site to the forecasting
process of a supplying site.
Seamless integration with other IFS modules ensures that the
entire enterprise stays in sync.
LESS TIME SPENT ON TEDIOUS TASKS
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Seasonality profiles offer advanced seasonality determination
and a matching algorithm that selects and groups parts with
similar seasonal pattern.
Central repository for part forecasts allows you to view and
maintain forecast parameters in one location.
A flow wizard enables you to create and define flows.
Dynamic parameter and formula adjustments automatically
occur as you manipulate forecasts graphics.
Seasonality Profile for Simplifying Forecasts for Parts with
Seasonal Patterns
To find out how IFS can help your organization maintain its competitive edge, call 1.888.437.4968, e-mail request@ifsworld.com or visit www.ifsworld.com.
IFS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
FORECAST WIZARD: THE FORECAST WIZARD HELPS SELECT THE BEST MODEL, PARAMETERS, AND SEASONAL PROFILE
Scenarios: Creating multiple scenarios allows the forecaster to have more than one forecast for a part or group of
parts. Example: Worst case, best case and most likely case.
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Gives increased possibility to play around with forecast models and parameters without the danger of changing
the main forecast.
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Easier to do what if scenarios with multiple regression without the danger of messing up the main forecast.
CAMPAIGN: PROVIDES MORE FLEXIBLE AND ACCURATE PLANNING OF CAMPAIGNS
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Makes it possible to start and end a campaign on any date. The forecast period can be selected independent of
the normal campaign period. Example: Makes it possible to have month as the forecast period, and run weekly
campaigns.
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The planned campaign quantity will only increase the forecast demand during the actual campaign period.
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The stock levels will only increase during the actual campaign period.
Comments on the forecast: View and add new comments for the currently selected part/group in the Period
Comments dialog box. Open this dialog box by right-clicking in the forecast graph and then click Period Comments or
double-click the period ruler (x-axis) of the forecast graph. The periods that have comments are easy to find, they are
underlined in the period ruler and are also displayed when viewing notes for different lines in the forecast graph.
CANNIBALISM
When you enter an event on a forecast part you can do a cannibal analyzes on how this event is expected to
affect other parts. For example if you are promoting part A and this promotion is expected to lead to an increase
of 35% in the sale of part A. Then the question is how will this affect the sales of part B which is similar to part
A. This cannibal analyze tool is meant to give you a suggestion in how the sale of B is likely to be effected.
The result of the cannibal flow is displayed as an event in the same period as the events in the cannibal part. The
events on the checked parts can be negative and positive, big or large depending on the found correlation with
the cannibal part.
INVENTORY PLANNING AND REPLENISHMENT (IPR)
The addition of IPR functionality adds an easy possibility to differentiate the demand and calculation models used for
planning parameters depending on the part characteristics. The IPR model enhancements provide a state-of-the-art
library of different models or ways to determine when to place an order and how much to order. Forecasts from IFS
Demand Planning are used in the inventory replenishment functionality.
The calculation of planning parameters (safety stock, order point and lot size) is executed continuously in the Demand
Planner which gives quick updates to consider any changes in demand pattern. This will lead to more accurate inventory
levels which in turn will reduce the inventory cost.
To find out how IFS can help your organization maintain its competitive edge, call 1.888.437.4968, e-mail request@ifsworld.com or visit www.ifsworld.com.