Navigating Volatility: The Move to Intelligent Planning

Historically, demand forecasting has been essential to operational planning, however traditional methods are becoming much less effective. Supply chain leaders of today are faced with mass global disruptions and consumer behaviour that is difficult to predict.

Organisations are under continuous pressure to increase service levels while at the same time reducing excess inventory and carrying costs. With existing history-based forecasting models no longer keeping up, executives are looking for new ways to navigate the landscape.

To explore these challenges, Supply Chain Digital, in association with Amazon Business, is hosting an exclusive webinar on 15 July: AI-Driven Demand Forecasting for Supply Chain Leaders. This upcoming panel will bring together top operational transformation experts to discuss how innovative firms are moving away from rigid, retrospective planning cycles and instead to infrastructure that’s more dynamic and predictive.

There’s still time to secure your place. Disruptions won't wait, and neither should your planning strategy. Register for the live webinar on 15 July and learn how to build an agile, AI-driven forecasting model.

Why legacy forecasting fails in modern markets

The upcoming broadcast will discuss the structural weaknesses of traditional planning. Historically, standard forecasting relies on stable lead times and previous sales curves, but during times of macroeconomic volatility this can create blind spots, which can lead to stockouts or excessive inventory.

This will be one of the key factors that our panel will offer their opinion on. Deanna Harner, Global Executive Strategy, Supply Chain & Operations at Avanade, will help break down how escalating corporate expectations for real-time responsiveness are exposing the limits of static data.

Helping to dissect the true financial business impact of inaccurate forecasts will be Gautam Narayan, Partner, Global Supply Chain Strategy at IBM, while Mark Pizov, Senior Director of Chemical Manufacturing Supply Chain at Avantor, will offer a manufacturing perspective on the operational penalties of fragmented data silos.

How to harness AI for real-time agility

AI can be a differentiator for leading firms when it comes to processing large volumes of data. More than just evaluating what was sold last quarter, AI models are able to identify subtle market signals, weather shifts and macroeconomic indicators to update projections continuously.

The session will explore some of the core pillars of an AI-enabled supply chain. Dynamic data sets will be explored, focusing on moving past internal ERP numbers to leverage real-time external data streams.

Another key factor we will be diving into is operational agility, more specifically, how to use predictive modelling to adjust procurement, production and distribution schedules before demand shifts manifest. Finally, the final key theme the panel is set to break down is the implementation hurdles facing supply leaders when launching early-stage AI initiatives.

Amazon Business

Looking ahead, this webinar will map out what supply chain planning will look like over the next three to five years, detailing the evolving role of supply chain teams. Tomorrow's planners will move away from manual data entry and spreadsheet manipulation, stepping instead into strategic, exception-based decision-making roles. 

Building a responsive, data-driven supply chain requires an equally agile commercial buying architecture. Amazon Business helps supply chain leaders tackle operational drag by reshaping the corporate procurement process. 

Amazon Business equips organisations with pre-built spend dashboards and customised approval workflows, allowing procurement teams real-time visibility to respond with confidence when AI models signal a shift in market demand.

Discover what’s beyond static spreadsheets. Register now for the 15 July webinar and discover how to future-proof your demand planning strategy, in association with Amazon Business, on demand now.