Author: Niels

Niels has 20 years of experience in supply chain and business planning and enjoy writing a thing or two every now and then. I'm on the advisory board of Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting and had the honour to have been labelled as "one of Foresight's most visionary authors." My articles cover company culture, strategy execution, S&OP, IBP, automation, augmentation and human centricity in business planning. As children's book author, publisher and mental toughness advocate, I hope to make a positive contribution by helping children learn about confidence, resilience and a positive mindset. My book series 'My Strong Mind' has been published in 10 languages.
Digital supply chain, Supply Chain

Autonomous or ‘Lights Out’ Supply Chain Planning; what is really required?

If you operate in the supply chain or the planning world, it is hard to not come across terminology like supply chain planning 4.0, ‘light touch’ planning or ‘lights out’ planning. They all rate high in the hype cycle and for good reasons. A lot of technology progress has been made in recent years, and progress continuous at dizzying speed. Autonomous vehicles already exist in … Continue reading Autonomous or ‘Lights Out’ Supply Chain Planning; what is really required?

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Leadership, Positive mindset, S&OP

Three common weaknesses in supply chain

In a recent Forbes article, three common supply chain weaknesses are highlighted: Being reactive rather than pro-active Lack of visibility Lack of accountability The behavioural weaknesses – lack of pro-activity and accountability should be no surprise to me or the readers of my blog. As the S&OP mindset study I conducted with Supply Chain Movement in 2017/2018 show similar results. We made an S&OP mindset … Continue reading Three common weaknesses in supply chain

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Digital supply chain, Leadership, Supply Chain

Artificial Intelligence – beyond the hype, the experts, its weak spots and losing your job

In our household we love our Google Home. My girls use it continuously to play music, ask silly questions, jokes, do calculations and spell difficult words amongst other things. I use it to voice command my shopping list, set a timer and book meetings in my agenda. Speeking to and interacting with a little machine in my living room, that has the capacity to both … Continue reading Artificial Intelligence – beyond the hype, the experts, its weak spots and losing your job

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Leadership, Positive mindset, S&OP

A Short Guide to Behavioural Coaching in Support of World Class S&OP

To be most effective, S&OP requires a positive, growth-oriented, mentally tough mindset as well as constructive behaviours. It is unlikely that a critical mass of effective behaviours is present in every company that implements S&OP. On top of this, S&OP practitioners indicate that behaviours are not addressed enough in S&OP implementations. There are different behavioural change requirements during S&OP maturity stages. This article suggests three … Continue reading A Short Guide to Behavioural Coaching in Support of World Class S&OP

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Leadership, S&OP

Why we Need to Rethink S&OP Vision, Culture, and Language

PREVIEW In their three-part Foresight series entitled “Misconceptions, Missteps, and Bad Practices in S&OP,” (Foresight issues 46, 47, 48) Chris Gray and John Dougherty expose a baker’s dozen of blunders blocking the road to an effective S&OP process.  S&OP Is the New Name for ERP. To Make S&OP Work, We’ll Need New Software. For Our Company, S&OP Is Operations (O) and Inventory without Involving Sales (S)! Make to Stock, … Continue reading Why we Need to Rethink S&OP Vision, Culture, and Language

Niels4 Comments
Digital supply chain, Leadership, Supply Chain

The self-driving supply chain will need human capability more than ever

In a bit of an attention-grabbing title – The Death of Supply Chain Management – some pretty well-established supply chain people got away in the Harvard Business Review with what reads pretty much as a one dimensional sales pitch for technology. The main premise of the article is that technology and digitalisation will take over the supply chain and take peoples jobs. They talk about … Continue reading The self-driving supply chain will need human capability more than ever

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Leadership, S&OP

S&OP 3.0 – The Future of Planning

Sales and Operation Planning (S&OP) made it’s break through in the 80’s, when Material Requirement Planning (MRP) was the hottest planning methodology around, computer screens had monochrome green letters, our music and dress sense were questionable, and it was common for companies to have a command and control management style. With it roots in the supply chain, this S&OP 1.0 had a strong focus on … Continue reading S&OP 3.0 – The Future of Planning

Niels4 Comments
Leadership, Positive mindset, S&OP

The key elements of an effective S&OP mindset

Most of us like to achieve high performance consistently and at any time. However, often we can be highly effective at one time, and other times we’re very unproductive. Research shows that there are five attributes that either positively or negatively impact our performance variation for a task or a challenge. Abilities: what are the skills and resources I need? Can I apply my strengths … Continue reading The key elements of an effective S&OP mindset

Niels2 Comments
Leadership, S&OP

S&OP mindset shows a lack of pro-activity and long term focus

Some companies run their Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) with great effectiveness. However, too often S&OP maturity and performance stalls, even when the supporting S&OP processes and systems are properly implemented. S&OP culture and leadership has often been proposed as a mechanism to improve S&OP performance. More specifically, Tuomikangas and Kaipia (2014) suggest that this includes “the organizational mind-set and practices that facilitate and advance … Continue reading S&OP mindset shows a lack of pro-activity and long term focus

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Positive mindset, S&OP

Benchmark your S&OP Mindset

S&OP is an enterprise wide business planning process that can only be effective and sustainable when it is supported by the right mindset and behaviours. Individuals and teams with a superior mindset will increase S&OP effectiveness and are proven to perform better and show increased well-being. You can down load a free S&OP mindset checklist HERE I also would like to ask you a favor … Continue reading Benchmark your S&OP Mindset

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