Lack of business intelligence across the enterprise can keep companies from achieving peak supply chain performance. On the other hand, when they do have solid business-intelligence capabilities in place, companies not only do a better job of matching supply and demand, they also become agile in responding to changes in the marketplace. Nowhere is this more evident than in sales and operations planning (S&OP), according to Nari Viswanathan, research director of Supply Chain and Logistics at Aberdeen Group. When business intelligence is applied to the S&OP process, Viswanathan explained, all parts of the company have better visibility and can more effectively align forecasts with production plans.

Visnawathan was joined on the panel by Kaushal Vyas, senior solutions manager of Supply Chain Management at Infor. Vyas reported on the powerful new tools that are emerging to help managers capture and use data to enhance their supply chain operations. This is at the heart of Business Intelligence (BI), Vyas explained. The panelists then set forth specific examples of how companies today are effectively applying business intelligence to S&OP and other activities to improve overall supply chain visibility and, ultimately, performance.

Viswanathan noted that he’s seen renewed interest in business intelligence in the marketplace, as more companies are interested in getting sales and marketing, procurement, manufacturing, and finance aligned with one another. Vyas added that companies are using BI to make smart business decisions; measure specific business processes; and collect and use trusted, timely, and relevant data. In return, they are gaining new insights into their operations and are able to make smarter, faster decisions about their supply chains.

Companies interested in tapping into the benefits of BI, said Viswanathan, should begin by identifying their reporting requirements. Armed with that knowledge, they can then start exploring the vendor applications and other resources that will help them enhance their business-intelligence capabilities as part of an end-to-end supply chain solution.