Labor incentive programs can work hand in hand with your supply chain strategy by improving such things as productivity and quality. But, says Tom Stretar, senior project manager, enVista, employees must see the benefits to them if these programs are to succeed.

"Sometimes buzz begets buzz." That's Patrick Bower's explanation for why sales and operations planning (S&OP), hardly a new concept, has become so important to companies today. According to the senior director of corporate planning with Combe Inc., globalization has had a big influence on companies looking for ways to plan demand within increasingly complex supply chains.

Companies wonder how often they should meet in order to achieve maximum information-sharing within the organization, as part of an effective sales and operations planning (S&OP) process. "As often as they need," advises Sanjiv Sharma, head of sales and operations planning with Rolls-Royce Energy Systems. "As little as they can get away with."

"Where and how should the forecast organization report?" That's the number-one question that Lora Cecere, partner with the Altimeter Group, is asked as an analyst. Her answer: "It needs to report to an organization that's neutral."

The total cost of ownership of lasers is cheaper than camera technology, says Jon Stiles, product marketing manager, Accu-Sort systems. But there are decided advantages and drawbacks to each method. He walks the viewer through them.

Horizontal carousels are the most cost-effective technology for each picking, says Ed Romaine, chief marketing officer, Sapient Automation. Benefits include rapid ROI, and huge savings on floor space and labor. Smaller companies should be especially interested.

A "V"-shaped business cycle is one that is characterized by a large market contraction, followed by a sharp and equally large expansion. Indeed, some companies during the Great Recession saw double-digit sales declines followed by commensurate increases. "It almost feels like you're on a roller coaster," says Marianne K. Gatten, director of strategic planning and business development with Emerson. "You're taking that first hill, scared of what's going to happen next." Managing the sales and operations planning (S&OP) process in such an environment can be extremely difficult.

The cloud is a viable model for a WMS, says Chuck Fuerst, director of product strategy at HighJump Software. Other things to consider are performance-based applications, labor management solutions, voice technology - and underestimating the cost of a WMS upgrade.

Projects to change distribution networks can be highly complex. To guarantee success, says Mike Dunn, group vice president, Fortna, participants must fully understand the need for change, get total commitment from all departments in a company, and work with a knowledgeable partner.

Discrete manufacturing companies operating with highly complex supply chains in today's volatile business world need collaborative planning and the ability to quickly respond to variances in those plans. They often want to model 'what-if' scenarios to better prepare them for those inevitable hiccups - or new business. Kinaxis designed its RapidResponse solution to help companies with demand and supply balancing, optimized forecasting, and improved supply chain performance. Recently it debuted an enhanced version called RapidResponse Control Tower.