Patrick Bower

Orchestrating Consensus with Tension

Patrick BowerDecember 11, 2023

I recently read Bob Stahl’s newest book, Sales and Operations Planning – An Executive Update, and I came away with a different perspective on a long-time problem; how to get consensus on a challenging forecast. Over the course of my long car... Read More...

OrganizationPeopleS&OP/IBP0 Comments 2

My “Future Shock” with ChatGPT

Patrick BowerFebruary 14, 2023

It is nearly impossible to avoid the current hype around ChatGPT. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence content creator that generates a variety of outputs by answering questions fed to it. You would have to be living under the proverbial rock ... Read More...

Analytics1 Comment 0

What’s Next? Supply Chain Trends For 2022

Patrick BowerJanuary 17, 2022

As we close out 2021 and look forward to 2022, it is natural to speculate about what might happen in the global supply chain over the next three to six months. This time horizon is material to me in part (and cynically) because I don’t believe th... Read More...

Supply Chain Management0 Comments 0

Solving The SKU Proliferation Problem

Patrick BowerNovember 5, 2020

The recent trend towards SKU proliferation causes inventory dollars to balloon and margins to fall. These problems have been exposed by Covid-19 demand shifts. Companies are falling into the trap of fractionalization in an attempt to appeal to all... Read More...

Product Life Cycle ManagementS&OP/IBP1 Comment 0

Traits of An S&OP Leader

Patrick BowerJuly 6, 2020

I recently received a LinkedIn message from a relatively junior connection asking a simple question: what education, training, experience, and character traits are needed to be a good S&OP leader? I thought, “What a great question,” and “this top... Read More...

Competencies/SkillsPeopleS&OP0 Comments 0

6 Rules For Demand Planning During A Recession

Patrick BowerMarch 16, 2020

This article first appeared in the summer 2019 issue of the Journal of Business Forecasting. It didn't anticipate a global pandemic but did anticipate a slowdown in a global economy approaching the end of an expansion cycle. It provides an excellent ... Read More...

Models & MethodsProcessS&OP/IBP1 Comment 1

Is Customer Service Part Of Your S&OP? It Should Be

Patrick BowerDecember 4, 2019

To borrow a phrase from the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, customer service just doesn’t get the S&OP respect it deserves. One of the more important but overlooked areas of S&OP is the integration of customer service into the process f... Read More...

S&OP/IBP1 Comment 0

The Quantitative Skills Gap Means Leveraging Machine Learning Is Still 10 Years Away

Patrick BowerJanuary 16, 2019

As we start each new year, there comes a fresh list of ideas or prognostications about future trends in demand planning and S&OP. These days everyone is using the word digital—digital supply chain, digital transformation, digital quests, and digi... Read More...

Advanced AnalyticsModels & Methods0 Comments 0

iventory reduction by cutting forecast bias

Pat’s Quick Hits For Inventory Reduction Part 2

Patrick BowerJanuary 23, 2018

Last week we looked at cutting inventory through improving inventory quality (getting rid of obsolete or low value stock) and reclassifying mislabelled inventory. Once you’ve done those those 2 quick fixes, the next inventory cutting initiative is te... Read More...

demand planningModels & MethodsS&OPS&OP/IBPSupply Chain Management0 Comments 0

Image of warehouse. Inventory reduction.

Pat’s Quick Hits For Inventory Reduction: Part 1

Patrick BowerJanuary 18, 2018

In the first of this mini-series, Pat Bower of Combe Inc. reveals the quickest and easiest ways to reduce inventory. Detailing the preferred methods used by leading S&OP professionals and consultants, he discusses how to cut poor quality or obsol... Read More...

demand planningForecasting and PlanningS&OPSupply Chain0 Comments 0