2008 and Prior Archived Newsletters

Dec 2008 and January 2009

• Education Kit Previews 
• Education Kit Introduction 
• Executive S&OP Workshop 
• Best of the Best Conference - IBF/APICS

Sept 2008

• Bullets from Bob: S&OP's Role in Strategic Planning
• New Product: The Executive S&OP Briefing: A Visual Introduction
• APICS/IBF S&OP Best of the Best Conference Dec. 11-12 in Dallas
• Meet T. F. Wallace team member Tony Zampello

July 2008

• More and more non-manufacturers are getting on the Executive S&OP bandwagon
• IBF - Executive Business Forecasting & Planning Forum
• Bullets from Bob: How to Overcome the Perceptions of Precision (part 2)
• Meet T. F. Wallace team member Bill Kerber

June 2008

• Using the Self-Audit Checklists and Spredsheet to look at and evaluate your processes
• Chicago IBF-APICS joint conference S&OP conference - sold out
• AME Conference in Toronto - Tom Wallace and Bob Stahl presenting
• Meet T. F. Wallace team member Bob Stahl

May 2008

• S&OP - High Impact, High Yield; low cost and very low risk
• Bullets from Bob - Overcoming the Perception of Precision
• What's New: Sales & Operations Planning:
                        The How-To Handbook, 3rd Edition

March 2008

• Bullets from Bob - Beware of a Too Full Plate
• What's New: Sales & Operations Planning:
                        The How-To Handbook, 3rd Edition
• APICS/IBF joint conference: Sales & Operations Planning:
                                                    The Best of the Best

January 2008

• Bullets from Bob - Fingerprints - A Key to Success 
• China Trip Report
• Featured International Distributor ASCMS China

• Bullets from Bob - Your Customer - Your Biggest Ally?
• International Distributors
• What's New - Tom joining APICS Board of Directors

• Introducing Bill Kerber
• Introducing Tony Zampello
• IBF Executive Forum -Sept 9-11 Las Vegas
• APICS International Conference - Oct. 22, Denver
• CSCPM International Conference - Oct. 23-24, Philadelphia
• IBF Two Day Executive S&OP Workshop - Nov. 29-30, Atlanta

• How to deal with demand spikes
• The "mini"  Executive S&OP cycle 
• Bullets from Bob - When Learning is not Learning 
• University of San Diego survey

• Resource Requirements Planning
• Simplifying Assumptions
• White paper link - Forecast Less and Get Better results
• Difficult to effect change in an organization

April 2007

• Executive S&OP sessions with IBF
• Tailored In-Company sessions available
• Executive Forum
• International Workshop

• Focus on forecast error
• Bias is the worst kind of forecast error
• As lead time approaches zero, so does forecast error
• Why S&OP can create discomfort

• Focus on the processes not the results
• Forecast error
• Executive S&OP causes discomfort

• Give your planning and forecasting processes an exam
• Use checklists and Excel
• Raising and Resolving conflict

• Managing Abnormal Demand.
• Low Cost, High Quality, Great Customer Service
• What's New

• Lean Manufacturing and S&OP:  You Need 'Em Both.
• IBF Executive S&OP Workshop
• Becoming Demand Driven

• Is Your President in Tune with S&OP?
• Tips from Tom and Bob
• Upcoming Events

• Does Your S&OP Cause Conflict? If so, that may be a good thing, not bad.
  Here's why.
• Tips from Tom and Bob

• Survey Results
• Stuck in the Middle
• A Better Tool
• Getting from Here to There
• Tips from Tom and Bob: Accurate forecasts

• Timing is Everything
• Aggregate versus Detailed Forecasts
• Questions Arise
• Tip from Tom & Bob: Doesn’t it make sense to spell out the ground rules before the games begin?

• Sales & Operations Planning: The How-To Handbook
• Sales & Operations Planning: The Self-Audit Workbook
• Sales & Operations Planning: A Visual Introduction
• Tip From Tom: Does your Executive S&OP process include a dollar view along with units?

• How Widespread is S&OP?
• How is S&OP Used in a Global Enterprise?
• Tip from Tom: Do you forecast in detail far into the future - 18 months or so?

• How to select product families
• How many families should you have?
• But what about capacity? 
• Tip from Tom: Necessity of an Executive Champion
• Highlights: Self Audit Workbook, Building to Customer Demand, and Master Scheduling

• Time for the Periodic S&OP Check-Up?
• Tip from Tom: You can't put 10 pounds in a 5 pound bag

• New Year's Resolutions
• Tip from Tom: Managing abnormal demand
• Highlights: Self Audit Workbook, Sales & Operations Planning, Sales Forecasting, Building to Customer Demand, Procurement in the New World of Manufacturing Video CD, and Sales & Operations Planning Video CD

• S&OP - What Does It Mean?
• Tip from Tom: Contract manufacturers and suppliers need to stay in the loop, too
• Highlights: Self Audit Workbook, Sales & Operations Planning, Building to Customer Demand

• Competing against offshore manufacturers, part 2
• Tip from Tom: Forecasting future demand
• New! Self Audit Workbook - Advance copy orders save 20%

• Competing against offshore manufacturers
• Tip from Tom: Zero Bias
• Release of new video CD: Procurement in the New World of Manufacturing