Why Blue Yonder is an IDC MarketScape Planning Leader
Blue Yonder continues to set the standard when it comes to supply chain planning.
In a world where uncertainty shapes business strategies, the company stands out by delivering comprehensive solutions that address current challenges while keeping an eye on what lies ahead.
Known for its innovative capabilities in supply chain operations, Blue Yonder – led by CEO Duncan Angove – was recognised earlier this year as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for supply chain planning solutions.
Ultimately, it remains a trusted partner for businesses aiming to optimise and future-proof their supply chains.
Now, Blue Yonder has earned further recognition having been named as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Supply Chain Planning Overall 2024 Vendor Assessment.
What is IDC MarketScape?
IDC MarketScape is the ICT industry's premier vendor assessment tool, providing in-depth quantitative and qualitative technology market assessments of ICT vendors for a wide range of technology markets.
Each IDC MarketScape research report provides business leaders with a comprehensive assessment of various market competitors, arming them with the critical information necessary to make important technology decisions.
What truly sets IDC MarketScape apart is its rigorous scoring methodology, which looks beyond market share and offers a clear framework that compares:
- Product and service offerings
- Capabilities and strategies
- Current and future market success factors for each vendor.
Why Blue Yonder stands out
IDC’s latest MarketScape report on supply chain planning highlights Blue Yonder’s established position as a global software firm focusing on end-to-end supply chain solutions in planning, execution and omni-channel commerce.
It also points to the organisation’s specialism in the following areas:
- Demand and supply planning
- Inventory optimisation
- Network design
- IBP, S&OP and S&OE
- Allocation and replenishment
- Merchandise financial planning
- Production planning, factory planning and sequencing
- Order slotting and sequencing
- Category management
- Retail planning (workforce, inventory, space and floor, assortment, life cycle, store execution and merchandise operations)
Examining Blue Yonder’s strengths in supply chain planning, the report says: “Having offered end-to-end solutions for years while maintaining investment and R&D spending in supply chain planning, Blue Yonder offers a comprehensive set of solutions.
“Blue Yonder doesn’t take an all-or-nothing approach though and finds many new clients use either demand planning or supply planning as a standalone entry point to the company’s solutions.
“Blue Yonder has invested in embedded AI/ML and in functional excellence across all planning applications as well as in interoperability between planning and execution applications to increase clients’ abilities to tie planning and operations and increase supply chain orchestration.
“All planning solutions are part of the Blue Yonder Platform that Blue Yonder has built, making them fully integrated.”
Key strengths are summarised as:
- Extensive set of solvers, many of which have been tuned to industry specifics
- Multi-echelon optimisation for inventor
- Ability to mix and match statistical models for demand planning
- Co-designed S&OP processes with several large clients, improving decision processes
- Scenario modelling and investment in process automation
- Interoperability with execution solutions (TMS, WMS, OMS)
Challenges facing Blue Yonder
The IDC MarketScape report notes that some Blue Yonder clients occasionally express concerns about the perceived complexity of its pricing structures.
As a result, it has worked to simplify pricing for planning solutions.
Elsewhere, some past client feedback has referenced differing UI/UX across Blue Yonder’s portfolio of solutions, such as WMS, TMS and OMS.
Blue Yonder has responded by investing in improving and simplifying its user experience, as evidenced in its R&D spend.
Choosing Blue Yonder
IDC concludes its report by stating that Blue Yonder can be considered a competitive solution by clients in numerous different industries.
“Blue Yonder’s end-to-end portfolio of solutions helping connect planning and execution makes it competitive for those looking for an all-in-one partner,” the report continues. “Its ability to integrate with other offerings makes it a competitive choice for those looking for point solutions in planning functions as well.”
The report adds that investments in AI/ML, end-to-end visibility and execution and scenario modelling tools have positioned Blue Yonder as a potential partner to synchronise supply chains while delivering expertise in planning.
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