Forecasting

CGT Executive Editor Alliston Ackerman gives you a sneak peek into the trends and topics discussed in this month's issue.

Newell Rubbermaids Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process has been the subject of an intensive improvement effort over the past two years. In fact, an S&OP initiative launched in 2008, generated 30 percent more cash for a total of $603 million in 2009.

Unilever is always on task to decrease costs and maintain profits. The adoption of demand sensing and inventory optimization solutions in North America is now catching on in other markets to improve forecasts company-wide.

VMI programs have been in place at CG companies for years, but leaders are just now asking: How can I gain more value? The Dannon Company Inc. seems to have the answer as it pursues VMI as a strategic initiative to strengthen retailer relationships and grow sales. Get the inside scoop here.

In the first three months, Kimberly-Clark has already realized $10 million in additional revenue by avoiding out-of-stock scenarios.

After being acquired by Ralcorp, Post Foods successfully collaborated with a broker and a solutions provider to transition to a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) and trade promotion management (TPM) solution.

Full-service wine retailer, Soutirage, aims to automate, with streamlined barcode process and serialized inventory.

200 executives from the world's leading retailers, manufacturers, academics, third-party providers and industry organizations gathered to define the strategic objectives on which the industry should focus its energies. Top objectives emerged, including optimizing a shared supply chain.