Eyeon Solutions forecasting & planning tools

solutions

forecasting & planning tools by eyeon solutions

june 2014

contents & introduction Contents about eyeon overview planning & forecasting tools software partner: board software partner: one network software partner: adaptive insights software partner: anaplan software partner: exceedra software partner: steelwedge software partner: tagetik

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Introduction It is EyeOn’s mission to improve it’s customer’s Forecasting and Planning performance. EyeOn realizes demonstrable contributions to the bottom-line results of companies by increasing the forecasting accuracy and planning effectiveness. EyeOn hereby focuses on Processes, as well as on Tools and People.

The ongoing technological developments in ICT give rise to a continuous stream of new applications that can be used to forecast and plan. EyeOn follows this offering closely, continuously looking for new promising products that could help in specific situations where the more established tools are not fulfilling the demand.

This brochure describes the newcomers that to our opinion will take a position in the years to come. We have selected these applications on their positioning, credibility and ability to deliver.

We invest in setting up business partnerships with the suppliers to have direct access to their sources and facilities. Moreover, we have invested in training and education: for all tools we have inhouse specialists, where possible licensed by the supplier.

The findings as described are based on actual experience in practical implementations. Feel free to contact us for learning more from actual implementations.

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about eyeon The performance of forecasting and planning processes are key to the success of any company. EyeOn has expertise on following processes: Forecasting and demand planning Sales drives your business and good demand planning will make sure you are prepared for sales. A solid demand planning process leads to good decisions and is a joint effort of sales, finance and supply chain management. EyeOn helps customers develop, implement and improve their demand planning processes, so that demand planning becomes a smart, value adding process.

S&OP Companies need robust processes and tools to manage the business towards optimization of top-line revenue and integral profit while addressing uncertainty and risk. This requires a very tight integration between strategy, planning and execution.

Financial forecasting and budgeting Financial forecasting and budgetting are key in bringing a company’s strategy into action. These processes have to support the management Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.

Supply planning In supply planning, actions are taken so that the supplying organization (manufacturing and distribution) is geared to meet the forecasted demand. A large variety of decisions are asked from the supply planning function: longer term capacity requirements, optimum stock levels, proper mid term planning and an efficient execution schedule. With knowledge about supply chain design, supply chain analysis and proven line experience, EyeOn experts help streamline the supply planning function.

Profitability management To steer on profitability companies must be capable to identify the most valuable customers and products, while understanding the impact that changes in pricing and process improvements have on costs and profitability. Business management needs trust and confidence to take the right decisions about the product- and/or customer portfolio.

Statistical forecasting Statistical forecasting concentrates on identifying patterns and trends within the historic data, and develops a forecast by using mathematical formulas to identify the patterns and trends.

Collaborative planning / end-to-end planning Each of the links in the supply chain operates in reaction to actual or anticipated demand from the consumer at the end of the chain.

The involvement of suppliers and customers in the forecasting and planning process is relatively high in upstream companies and especially during the introduction and phase-in of new products.

New product introductions The demand uncertainty of new product introductions brings in new challenging aspects in managing time-to-market and timeto-volume, but is at the same time critical for the bottom line result of a new product introduction. This puts a lot of pressure on the ability of manufacturers to align their processes towards the launch of these products.

Services EyeOn EyeOn offers a full range of services to make the best possible forecast and plan.

• Consultancy and Projects EyeOn’s expertise includes the re-engineering of processes and the implementation of appropriate tools for many organizations in different markets. The high standard of our work is based on extensive experience and superior knowledge in the area of planning and control.

• Interim If you need temporary planning management capabilities then EyeOn will help you. We can offer experienced managers who can temporarily take over your planning or logistics management.

• Forecast Services A good forecast drives an efficient supply chain and improves service levels. You deliver us data EyeOn delivers you the best possible forecast in terms of accuracy and efficiency! We forecast a statistical baseline, promotions and new products.

• Solutions We implement forecasting, planning, budgeting and control systems. Our specialized consultants have in-depth knowledge of planning and control processes.

• Expertise centre We can help you to train or coach your planners and forecasters. EyeOn organizes a range of masterclasses, network sessions, special interest groups and training on forecasting and planning themes. Moreover, EyeOn can benchmark your performance, execute scans and asssist in on-the-job coaching of your team.

EventCasting / promotion planning All data, from retailer to producer, as well as every step in the chain in between, is identified integrally. Together with the category know how of retailer and manufacturer and specialist models the best possible forecast for the whole chain is created weekly. This allows the supply chain to respond more responsive and adequately. EyeOn has implemented several EventCasting solutions that have proven to be very efficient in practice, e.g. with Jumbo Supermarkets.

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forecasting & planning tools

overview planning &forecasting tools The planning & forecasting wheel below provides an overview of existing suppliers of forecasting and planning tools. It is not intended to be complete; but the tools in the outer circle are currently setting, or will be setting the future main Forecasting and Planning tool offering. EyeOn has in-house knowledge of all tools listed.

The highlighted tools are the newcomers that to our opinion will take a position in the years to come. These are described in more details on the next pages. We have selected these applications on their positioning, credibility and ability to deliver. We invest in setting up business partnerships with the suppliers to have direct access to their sources and facilities. Moreover, we have invested in education and certification: for all tools we have in-house specialists, where possible licensed by the supplier.

The findings as described are based on actual experience in practical implementations. Feel free to contact us for learning more from actual implementations.

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software partner: board Functional mapping

Platform Business Intelligence and Performance Management All in One.

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software partner: board Pro’s • Started in 1994 and so a well-established company and provider • Sales Offices around the world including UK, Benelux (Amsterdam) • Very Large customer base (+2,500), all verticals present • Board recognised as leader in Garner Magic quadrant • Open platform to create any Planning module desired (not limited in planning functionality) • Can handle large amounts of data in the model • Planning and reporting in one module, so tightly integrated • Very powerful reporting and graphical analysis tool • Easy to build • Automation of imports available • Available on multi devices • Pricing cheaper than other products (for example Anaplan) • Many case studies available and accessible via website • Several specific solution case studies available including Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations & HR / demo models available Cons • No specific forecasting options or statistical engine • Generally traditional architecture (but Cloud option becoming available) • Whilst promoted as ‘rapid deployment’, it’s actually lower to build compared to other products (for example Anaplan) Unique Selling Points (USP) • One of the best integrated Planning & Analytical tools • Very strong reporting and dashboarding • Open platform: any desired planning wish can be modelled (to a certain extent) • Large client base and reference sites Use Cases • Are you able to (quickly) create your own reports and dashboards without asking your IT department?

• As a business user are you able to adjust the planning model quickly to the changing environment and maintain the data without asking IT? • Are you able to easily generate different functional Planning models in one environment and link these models to create relationships and interdependencies?

• Can you integrate your planning, analytics, strategy management and statutory reporting in one place providing one version of the truth?

• Are you able to model your business by providing a user friendly interface that encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing to produce more accurate forecasts?

Summary A very strong all round modelling tool with a superb front end for dashboards and reporting.

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software partner: one network Functional mapping

Platform

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software partner: one network Pro’s • True End to End solution, true Cloud solution • Can extend the own supply chain • Demand / Supply / Logistics • The more supply chain partners get involved, the better • Reduces the information through put time dramatically • Near real time insight and (re)calculation of demand / supply • Support of analytics, big data, what-if scenarios and collaboration • Statistical forecast engine • NPI, EOL and promotions can be handled • Easy to use User Interface (UI) Cons • Not well known in Europe, Benelux • Large implementation cycles and tuning to customer needs (compared to Adaptive Planning, Anaplan) • Annual fee for use of software higher (compared to Adaptive Planning, Anaplan) • Needs heavy tuning by ‘technical’ employees Unique Selling Points (USP) • True End to End Supply Chain solution • Complete S&OP platform (statistical forecast, life cycle management, allocations, inventory management, demand planning, supply planning, logistics planning, financial planning) • Cloud based

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software partner: adaptive insights Functional mapping

Platform

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software partner: adaptive insights Pro’s • Planning / Consolidation / Discovery can be purchased and used separately, but work tightly integrated when purchased together - Planning: versions, allocations, financial and non-financial planning, parameter based - Consolidation: financial consolidation, allocations, intercompany eliminations, multiple currencies, minority interests - Discovery: analytics, advanced reporting, alerting, collaboration, drill through • Large customer base, almost all verticals present (2013: 1.600+ customers in 80+ countries) • Large set of blueprints / demo models available • Sales Office in UK • Strong in financial based planning (e.g. loading of General Ledger) • Standard financial reporting already build in (Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, P&L) • Strong investor based, large R&D investment, acquisitions • Workflow & collaboration • Direct connectors build in for Salesforce.com and NetSuite Cons • Forecasting limited to linear forecasting, no statistical engine • Promotion - / Event planning limited • Strong financial based engine: for 100% non-financial planning a lot of features will be unused Unique Selling Points (USP) • Proven track record in all verticals • Complete platform (planning, consolidation and reporting) but can be acquired separately: maturity model (start small, grow big) • Financial and reporting capabilities are excellent Use Cases • Can you as a Finance professional quickly calculate different scenarios, see the changes in your planning and financial consolidation and supported by graphical output?

• Can you support S&OP allocation questions based on financial data and reports?

• Are you able to quickly see planning changes in the reports and be able to analyze this data by zooming in and drill down into specific areas?

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software partner: anaplan Functional mapping

Platform

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software partner: anaplan Pro’s • Large customer base, all verticals present • Several blueprints / demo models available • Sales Office in UK, France, Sweden and the Benelux • Open platform to create any Planning module desired (not limited in planning functionality) • Can handle very large amounts of data in the model • Planning and reporting in one module, so tightly integrated • Workflow • Automation of import and export possible (extra module: Anaplan Connect) • Direct connectors build in for Salesforce.com, Workday • Excel add-in for end users Cons • No forecasting options, no statistical engine • Reporting getting better (different types of graphs supported), but not as advanced yet compared to Adaptive Insights Unique Selling Points (USP) • Proven track record in all verticals • Open platform: any desired planning wish can be modelled (to a certain extend) • Fast development and deployment Use Cases • Are you able to (quickly) create your own reports and dashboards without asking your IT department?

• Are you as a business user able to adjust the planning model quickly to the changing environment and maintain the data without asking IT? • Are you able to easily generate different functional Planning models in one environment and link these models to create relationships and interdependencies?

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software partner: exceedra Functional mapping

Platform

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software partner: exceedra Pro’s • One of the best platforms for integrating promotion planning in an S&OP process.

• Sales Office and development in UK, US, sales and support in Benelux.

• Build around sales processes in FMCG industry: very fast data entry and immediate reporting.

• Immediate Insight in account P&L per product and promotion P&L and retail P&L. • Complete integration and customization possible.

• Can handle large amounts of data in the model.

• Can handle complex pricing and discount structures and models.

• Cannibalization, phasing supported.

• Planning and reporting in one module, so tightly integrated.

• Extensive set of reporting to directly support sales.

• Extensive set of reporting for analyzing the effect of promotions.

• Workflow and approval flow.

• Open interfacing, integration with all kind of ERP’s and datawarehouses possible.

• All reports exportable to Excel.

Cons • Development in SQL server, lot of SQL knowledge needed for maintenance and changes.

• Niche product.

• No real cloud solution.

Unique Selling Points (USP) • Best platform to support promotion planning and analyses by sales/account managers.

• Immediately insight in the effect of promotions on the Account-, Promotion and Retail P&L. • Robust and customizable workflow and approval flow.

Use Cases • Are you aware of the financial impact of all your promotions?

• Do you have sales on board in your planning cycle?

• Can you provide your customers insight in their profitability for a promotion?

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software partner: steelwedge Functional mapping

Platform

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software partner: steelwedge Pro’s • S&OP Master Data Management support • Excel front-end for end users • Standard database with prebuilt reporting (only need to connect operational data to Steelwedge database) • True Integrated Business Planning (IBP) solution • Support of analytics, big data, what-if scenarios and collaboration • Statistical forecast engine • Sales Office in the Netherlands • Direct connectors build in for Salesforce.com • Large implementation cycles and tuning to customer needs (compared to Adaptive Insights, Anaplan) Cons • Not well known in Europe, Benelux • Large implementation cycles and tuning to customer needs (compared to Adaptive Insights, Anaplan) • Annual fee for use of software higher (compared to Adaptive Insights, Anaplan) Unique Selling Points (USP) • True Integrated Business Planning (IBP) solution • Complete S&OP platform (statistical forecast, life cycle management, allocations, inventory management, Rough Cut Capacity planning, strategic Planning, Financial planning) • Use of Excel as front-end Use Cases • Are you able to answer demand / supply allocation questions based on financial parameters?

• Can you quickly calculate different scenarios by adjusting parameters due to a changing environment?

• Are you able to answer management questions within a day based on the changing demand?

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software partner: tagetik Functional mapping

Platform Tagetik delivers a finance specific solution in one place covering all financial processes from financial planning and forecasting to reporting and disclosure. It uses a modular approach to building to allow the client to develop and expand their solution a step at a time.

The product can be split into 3 main areas. (Note: At this stage Innovar are concentrating on planning, budgeting & forecasting).

Planning, budgeting & forecasting Tagetik allows the users to combine top down and bottom up planning in one place using the same drivers and assumptions.

The whole process is managed by finance with no dependency on IT. In addition to creating customised models, templates are available to support standard modelling requirements such as Balance sheet and Cash Flow.

Consolidation Developed to handle clients with a multi-currency, multi legal entity and multi ERP environment. Meets GAAP, IFRS plus other legal reporting requirements providing visibility and transparency.

Disclosure Management All documentation and reporting is managed centrally within Tagetik allowing Tax & Legal, Finance and Corporate Communications to work together on the same documents and so improving transparency, accountability, auditability and simplified submission of disclosure documents across the business.

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software partner: tagetik Pro’s • An established business and product (started in 1986) • It has offices in over 20 locations worldwide (including UK and Netherlands) • 600+ clients and is rated as one of the fastest growing software companies in Performance Management • Case studies across multiple industries with well-known brand names (Danone, SNCF, Telecom Italia) • Strong integration with Microsoft suite (including Office and SharePoint) • End users maintain their familiarity with Excel (used for input and analysis) • Can handle large amounts of data in the model • Workflow • Direct connectors to SAP • Available in the Cloud • Planning and reporting in one module, so tightly integrated Cons • Just focussed on Financial processes • Very Microsoft based (Pro & Con) • Consultancy intensive, typically many more days than other products

Unique Selling Points (USP) • Integrated planning and analytics available using traditional architecture or Cloud • Comprehensive integration with Microsoft and SAP • Specialist tool for modelling financial processes Use Cases • Is all of your financial processes integration into one seamless system from planning and forecasting to reporting, disclosure and governance?

• Are you able to integrate your strategic and operational planning including multiple what if scenarios?

• Do you need to improve the speed of your financial close and reporting?

• Is your business able to encourage collaboration across financial planning processes with minimal dependency on IT? • Do you have control and understand the workflow of financial activities across the enterprise?

• Can you manage external compliance, disclosure and financial reporting from one source system?

Summary If a client has a requirement of just improving their financial processes and are keen for that to remain closely linked to the familiar world of Microsoft then this would be ideal.

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eyeon Š 2014

About EyeOn Solutions EyeOn Solutions implements forecasting, planning, budgeting and control systems. Our specialized consultants have in-depth knowledge of planning and control processes. From many years of experience in a variety of companies we know how to make planning systems work for your organization.

EyeOn Solutions Croylaan 14 5735 PC Aarle-Rixtel Tel.: +31 492 38 88 28 www.solutions.eyeon.nl