Compass Express S&OP – the first truly integrated S&OP solution available OnDemand (i.e. delivered on a software-as-a-service basis) is quickly being adopted as the corporate standard for sales and operations planning.  Why?  Compass Express is the first truly intuitive, pre-configured and yet powerful purpose-built S&OP solution for manufacturing organizations.

And, what is unique about Compass Express S&OP?  Compass Express incorporates the powerful functions that Steelwedge users have grown to love.  The features include the ability to boot-strap an S&OP process in less than 30 days while offering unlimited configurability, scalability, and usability.  It is a solution that can scale to support real-time planning with over 100 million planning points while at the same time offer out-of-the-box best-practice based reports, templates, metrics nd business rules.  Further, Compass Express offers best-practice workflow templates and performance management.  Best all, Compass Express can be turned-on starting on Day 1!  Then, data can be simply uploaded into the solution by leveraging Steelwedge’s simple but powerful ETL capabilities.   In later stages, of course, data integration and ETL processing can be fully automated.  Full documentation is also included such that users can bootstrap the system immediately.  Online and telephone support and training are also available.

And what’s the bottom line?  Improved profitabilty, lowered inventory levels, improved order fulfillment and more!

For those interested in learning more, Steelwedge offers a Free “Test Drive” of  the  Compass Express solution.  The “Test Drive” enables potential users to quickly get a sense of the power as well as the “look and feel” of the Steelwedge application.

Anyone following the news is aware of the now steady drumbeat (finally!) of good news on the economic front.  Exports are up, Europe is doing better, home sales are up, and, of course, the stock market is up.  But wait, what follows next?  Oil prices are up.  Soon, commodities prices will start rising.  Then transportation costs will rise.

So what does this mean for manufacturers and how  does it relate to Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP)??  Clearly, after many quarters of focus on efficient operations and lean inventory management, the focus will once again shift to managing supply chain costs.  Transportation costs, materials costs, and eventually labor costs will eventually rise to prominence.

Are you prepared?

Effective planning is essential.  How will your operations change if there is another oil spike?  What will you do if a port is closed down by a strike?  How do transportation economics impact lead times?  These are just a few of the questions that must be understood by planners.

Ensuring that your S&OP Plan incorporates scenarios that mitigate these concerns is fast becoming essential.  Ensuring that your team is aware and focused is even more essential.  Today’s S&OP solutions such as Compass Express by Steelwedge offer the perfect antidote for these kind of challenges.