We’re a company and a team of individuals who take enormous pride in being a great, trusted partner to our clients: understanding their needs from their perspective while being able to provide consistently high daily support daily. This is what we think that everyone deserves from their planning and scheduling software provider: here’s what you should look for so that you get this.
Four key things to look for in an FMCG planning and scheduling software provider
1. Real-life experience of planning in the FMCG environment
No one fully knows what it’s like to do a job unless they’ve actually done it themselves. Sometimes this doesn’t make much of a difference but other times it’s really important: we believe this is the case with planning in FMCG. It’s such a highly-skilled, labour-intensive job, with so much key knowledge in the planner’s head that it’s necessary to have that insight. If you’ve never been the person looking after the spreadsheet that manages all the planning, it’s difficult to know what functions are needed in planning and scheduling software.
It also means that our team have a range of knowledge and skills that they can draw upon to provide our clients with the best quality care.
2. High-quality software designed with you in mind
Kudos Solutions has been trading for 30 years. Within the team we’ve gathered, we have over 100 years of experience in planning in a few different sectors. We’ve taken that knowledge and partnered with a software expert, such as Siemens so that we can be confident that our APS software is of the best possible quality. This provides confidence that the software is safe, robust, and built with you in mind. It’s especially important to look for a provider that understands planning and scheduling software can’t replace the role of the planner. Rather, it needs to be understood that their software needs to support the planner and make their life easier and more productive. We’ve made sure that Opcenter APS frees up planners’ time to be spent on value-added activities rather than managing the day-to-day.
3. The ability to deliver a clear ROI for the software costs
The software can be expensive. We often talk with FDs who believe that our software is going to be cost-prohibitive. It’s hard for them to see how investing thousands of pounds into the software can deliver savings but it is possible with the right software – even in the current climate where driving cost savings is a priority. Make sure you look for a supplier who can demonstrate how other clients have generated ROI with their software (as we can).
4. Advanced planning and scheduling software
Planning and scheduling software can include all different types of software or platforms. For example, some people might include Excel in this. You’ll also likely find Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) based software as well as Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software. As you can tell, it’s a broad category. However, neither Excel nor ERP are as feature-rich or powerful as APS software. Ideally, we’d recommend you look for APS software but, at a minimum, be clear about what a provider is offering as planning and scheduling software. Don’t assume they’re all the same!
If you’d like to find out how we can support your planning and scheduling, feel free to get in touch to have a chat about your requirements and demonstration of the software’s capabilities.
