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John Galt Solutions' Newsletter Issue:
September 2006
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What's New
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John Galt's new and enhanced Planning Portal v3.5 offers enhanced security, analytics and reporting
The Web-based Planning Portal provides a collaborative, easy-to-use framework through which a company's forecast and demand planning professionals can capture input from suppliers, customers, operations, sales, marketing and finance, then aggregate and analyze the data to develop a consensual “one number” sales forecast and optimized production plan.
Enhancements to the newly released Planning Portal include:
- Advanced exception management capabilities and data aggregation for faster information gathering; plus enhanced detail views for deeper analytics.
- Increased security features and controls to allow IT administrators to tailor the application to the company’s specific security requirements.
- Globalization capabilities to enable multi-language user interface.
- Seamless integration with Microsoft Excel, as well as with installed business information systems from major ERP vendors, such as SAP, Oracle, JDEdwards, QAD, etc.
» Read Press Release
» Request Demo / Additional Information
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Online User Conference
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Planning Portal Online User Conference
Wednesday, 10/11/2006 1:00PM CST
Focus on feedback … productive collaboration … up-to-date information.
 Collaboration Sharing information and managing exceptions is key to developing a productive relationship with customers and suppliers to develop a demand driven supply chain. The Planning Portal provides the foundation for capturing input and managing exceptions to take the planning process to the next level.
Learn about John Galt Solutions' Planning Portal, one of our key modules in our Atlas Planning Suite, and learn about the new features in our newest product upgrade release.
» Click here to register online |
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Webinar Calendar
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IBF
Webinar Series, sponsored by John Galt Solutions
Weird Forecasting - Improving Forecast-ability by Exploring Alternative Forecasting Models
  Date:
Tuesday, October
3, 2006
Time: 1:00 pm, Eastern
Standard Time
Do you have an eerie feeling that there is a better forecasting technique out there? Does the thought of stocks out send chills through your spine?
Your products may be superior, but you need them at the right place at the right time. If your forecast accuracy needs improvement, enter into the world of the bizarre, and abnormal forecasting. Your tour guide is Dr. Barry Keating, from Notre Dame University with an early Halloween webinar discussing the following:
- Event Modeling
- Decomposition
- Multi Level Forecasting / Grouping
- Slow Moving Methods
About Barry Keating 
Our guest speaker, Professor
Barry Keating, is the Jesse H. Jones Professor of Business
Economics at the University of Notre Dame.
He has done extensive work in the area of business
forecasting. He wrote Business Forecasting, now in its fifth edition
with McGraw Hill, and is the best-selling forecasting textbook used in colleges
and universities.
Professor Keating is a Heritage Foundation Fellow, a Heartland Institute Research
Fellow, a former President of the Economic Club of Michiana, former Chair of
the Department of Finance at Notre Dame, and serves on the Board of Advisors
of the Indiana Policy Review Group.
Professor Keating has published more than 80 articles for professional journals
and trade publications.
 Register
today online: Click
here to sign up |
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IBF Webinar Series, sponsored by John Galt Solutions
Tastykake: Developing the Sweetest Forecast You Can Sink Your Teeth Into
 Date: Thursday, October 12, 2006
Time: 1:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time
The Tasty Baking Company, an icon in Philadelphia since 1914, has
been embarking on a new forecasting project that has seen delicious
results. Prior to the forecasting initiative, TastyKake successfully
completed a very ambitious ERP implementation, which provided the
core ingredients required for the forecasting project.
In this webinar, Jeff Marthins from The Tasty Baking Company will
review the following topics:
- Overview of the Tasty Baking Company – Learn about their interesting past and how the company grew from selling cakes for 10 cents each in 1914 to their current operations with gross annual sales of $250 million.
- Review the lessons learned and secrets of a successful ERP implementation that took less than one year to implement.
- Understand the decision making process and approach used to develop and implement the forecasting initiative, which included data cleansing and sales order entry guidelines. In addition, the forecasting initiative was implemented with the strict requirement of a seamless integration with SAP.
- Review the results of the forecasting initiative and view real life metrics demonstrating the improvements gained by the Tasty Baking Company. These improvements directly contributed to a quick and measurable ROI, accurate forecasting, and to the Tasty Baking Company’s bottom line.
About Jeff Marthins
Jeff joined TastyKakes in 1985 and has worked in all facets of manufacturing
and planning. His background includes several years of manufacturing,
which provided him with a solid background for scheduling and planning.
In 1998, Jeff accepted a position in the planning and scheduling department
and has been intimately involved with it ever since. In 2004, Jeff
led the production module of a SAP implementation and took on a new
role in Demand Planning. In 2006, Jeff completed the requirements
for the for the Institute of Business Forecasting’s Certified Professional
Forecaster.
Register today online: Click here to sign up |
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 APICS Vendor Webcast
$afety $tock – A key to Financial Success
Date: Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Time: 2:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time
Panelist(s): Anne Omrod and Kai Trepte, Co-founders of John Galt Solutions, Inc.
Safety stock is one of the most significant and controllable costs that a company experiences in its supply chain. The relationship between demand variability and safety stock has been well understood for many years. Many models have been developed to manage and calculate safety stock, but they do not take into account that forecast accuracy varies by the time of year.
This webinar will focus on methodologies and processes for developing safety stock routines that are capable of handling seasonal variability. By utilizing safety stock routines that are tied to seasonal variability it is possible to significantly reduce inventory levels in off season periods without having to manually adjust safety stock levels throughout the year.
While safety stock is a critical element in the supply chain, it can have its greatest effect when it is informed by manufacturing policies and practices. The latter portion of the webinar will provide a vehicle utilizing the safety stock calculation process to more directly align commercial groups and supply chain operations. This is accomplished by driving collaboration and discussion regarding the items in a company's product portfolio. This session will provide concrete steps to more closely align inventory safety stock policy across the entire business to guarantee more efficient use on inventory investment.
Safety Stock – An Overview
- The differences between safety stock and cycle stock
- Explanation of safety stock formula components
Examples of variability
- Non-seasonal variability
- Seasonal variability
- Implications on average inventory
The process of moving to seasonal safety stock
- Methods for deciding to move to seasonal safety stock
- Methods for calculating seasonal safety stock
- Key benefits of using seasonal safety stock
Taking the process to the next level
- Using safety stock to bridge sales and operations
- Aligning commercial requirements and operational efficiencies
- Methods for implementing safety stock programs within your organization
Register today online: Click here to sign up |
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IBF Webinar Series, sponsored by John Galt Solutions
Bushnell: Seeing into the future with collaboration
 Date: Thursday, October 19, 2006
Time: 1:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time
Bushnell Outdoor Products has been developing world class optics and sporting accessories for over 50 years. Respected brands such as Bollé, Serengeti, Tasco, Uncle Mike’s, Butler Creek, Hoppe’s, and Stoney Point have joined the Bushnell family through a series of acquisitions that began in 2000. The company’s unyielding commitment to quality, technology, and its strategic vision has spurred continuous growth, making Bushnell one of the most recognized names in the sports optics and accessories industry.
Mark has been instrumental in developing the forecasting methodologies and practices within the company. Throughout his tenure, demand planning has evolved from an internally-focused process to a collaborative consensus that captures input from all corners of the world.
In this webinar, Mark will discuss and share his experiences on the following topics:
- Overview of Bushnell and how they have grown to be a leader in the optics arena.
- Review and understand the growth and evolution of Bushnell’s forecasting process and the ERP systems that provide the relevant data.
- Understand the effort required to move from an internally focused process to a full fledged collaborative demand plan.
- Review of key reports and exceptions used to manage and run the collaborative process.
- Discuss how a collaborative process, in concert with an interactive data mart, led to the origin of a monthly S&OP.
- Review the forecasting results and view real life metrics demonstrating the improvements gained by Bushnell. This included a very significant inventory reduction that came in several million below plan.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark has been involved in the forecasting profession in one capacity or another for over 10 years. His background in macroeconomic analysis and process management provided the groundwork for his tenure at Bushnell, where he has been in charge of Demand Management activities for over six years. Mark was promoted to his current role in February 2006 and is part of the team leading the integration activities of Bushnell's most recent acquisition, Michael's of Oregon.
Mark received a BA in Business Administration from Grand View College in Des Moines , IA and earned his MBA from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Kansas City , MO.
Register today online: Click here to sign up |
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Tradeshows
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ForecastX
Wizard Training Calendar
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John Galt's Xpert Training classes were built around the customers' needs. We are committed to your success and we want to make sure that your
investment yields the maximum value to your business. Our comprehensive Xpert Training provides a combination of technology and proven
methodologies to help make forecasting an integral and strategic part of your organization.
Our upcoming dates for our in-house training classes are:
November 16 & 17, 2006 - Chicago, IL.
February 15 & 16, 2007 - Chicago, IL.
To find more information about our Xpert training or to view our training schedule, click here.
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John Galt Solutions' 2007 User Conference - Call for Speakers
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John Galt Solutions has started organizing its 2007 User Conference.
 We
are looking for speakers who would like to share their experience
and skills with an educated crowd. If you are interested in speaking
at our conference, please click on the link below and someone will
contact you shortly.
» Click here to sign up |
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