To set up efficient Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), a critical eye is essential. You can do that using all kinds of plug-ins or building new applications on an ERP or CRM system, but it can also be done much more efficiently, as ATIM proves. And at much more favorable conditions. Meet Forecast Pro, standalone software and proven technology with more than 45,000 users worldwide.
S&OP is an integrated business management process through which management continuously achieves focus, alignment and synchronization among all organizational functions. The goal is to work more efficiently and thus achieve better results. "Forecasting is essential in this, and it is by no means always successful in an ERP or CRM alone. The possibilities are too limited," knows Ilja Kempenaars, owner of ATIM, supplier and implementation partner of Forecast Pro, among others. "Companies that are less sophisticated often turn to Excel, but that too has its limitations and is also person-specific. That is anything but future-proof. Switching to a professional application is then often the motto."
The reference
Forecast Pro was introduced to the market in the mid-1980s, obviously developed continuously and is still considered the reference, says René van Luxemburg, founder of ATIM in 1982 and still active in the company. "Making forecasts is part of the development of a company. It forms the basis on which you start driving the rest of the business processes. It is always an interplay between the internal organization with sales & marketing. The latter mainly looks outside: what are the trends in the market, what is the competition doing, what actions are you going to initiate, etc.? While the internal organization makes a forecast based on internal data by projecting the past into the future, to give just one example. All those "forecasts" can be made by Forecast Pro and loaded into the planning. Thanks to the power and added value of AI (Artificial Intelligence), machine learning and statistical forecasting."
Implement and train
In addition to being a software implementation partner, ATIM has traditionally been an education and training organization. Companies interested in Forecast Pro's software are first thoroughly "vetted. "We look first and foremost at the task maturity of the employees," says Van Luxemburg. "We may need to lay some theoretical groundwork first to get people to the desired starting level. After that, a proof of concept is always established. What do we want to forecast, at what level and what is the purpose of the forecast? The moment the proof of concept is approved, we move on to implementation. We will set up the application, set up the interfaces with the ERP and CRM, look at the master data and go live. Of course, we also provide training for the employees. Most of the customers are ready to actually start using it within a week or two."
The scope of application of Forecast Pro is very broad, according to Kempenaars. "It is certainly already interesting for the upper end of the SME sector, but also for large multinationals. For example, we implemented Forecast Pro at a Dutch company in the food sector with 56 factories and 120 sales locations worldwide." Van Luxemburg adds: "As uncertainty in the market increases and there is a lot of disruption then forecasting gains popularity. After all, you want to get a certain grip on the future. And that certainly doesn't have to cost the world. With large applications you're immediately talking about investments of millions, whereas Forecast Pro is already fully operational between 15,000 and 25,000 euros."