Australia and New Zealand's automotive sectors are among the most demanding and complex environments for effective supply chain management. With vehicles constantly evolving in complexity and consumer expectations around rapid repairs and service responsiveness higher than ever, supply chains managing automotive parts are under pressure to perform reliably and cost-effectively.

In this article, we'll explore the critical strategies and best practices to optimise automotive parts supply chains, focusing on how organisations can significantly enhance service delivery, reduce operating costs, and manage inventory more efficiently. We’ll also highlight how Trace Consultants can support your organisation in transforming supply chain operations to achieve lasting competitive advantages.

Why Automotive Parts Supply Chain Efficiency Matters

The automotive industry is incredibly competitive, with efficiency in parts supply chains often determining customer satisfaction and financial performance. Delays or inaccuracies in parts availability can lead to prolonged vehicle downtime, impacting customer satisfaction, dealership profitability, and overall business reputation.

For automotive organisations, achieving excellence in their parts supply chain can mean:

• Reduced downtime and improved service responsiveness
• Efficient inventory management and reduced holding costs
• Increased profitability through better purchasing strategies
• Stronger relationships with distributors and manufacturers

To achieve these outcomes, automotive organisations must proactively optimise their supply chain practices. Here's how:

Demand Forecasting and Inventory Optimisation

Effective demand forecasting is foundational to any high-performing automotive parts supply chain. Accurate forecasting ensures the right parts are available at the right time, significantly reducing downtime and improving customer experience.

Automotive parts demand can be highly variable and influenced by seasonality, new model launches, recalls, or emerging technologies (such as electric vehicles). Leveraging advanced forecasting tools and predictive analytics can improve accuracy and responsiveness significantly.

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants offers expert guidance in implementing advanced forecasting solutions tailored for automotive parts distributors and dealerships. Our team helps you identify appropriate forecasting models, integrate AI-driven predictive analytics, and customise systems to suit your specific requirements, ensuring improved demand visibility and reduced forecasting error.

Optimising Inventory Management

Efficient inventory management is critical, especially considering the complexity of managing thousands of automotive SKUs. Optimised inventory management helps balance cost efficiencies with high availability, preventing both stockouts and excessive inventory holding.

Effective inventory management strategies include:

• Inventory Optimisation Tools: Implementing advanced systems to maintain optimal stock levels.
• Demand Segmentation: Categorising products based on demand frequency and criticality.
• Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI): Improving alignment and transparency with suppliers to manage inventory collaboratively.
• Inventory Rationalisation: Reducing slow-moving parts and obsolete stock, freeing capital, and improving warehouse efficiency.

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants specialises in implementing practical inventory optimisation solutions. We support automotive organisations in selecting and deploying sophisticated inventory systems, combined with data-driven strategies to streamline inventory management.

Enhancing Supply Chain Visibility

Real-time visibility across the automotive supply chain is vital. Improved visibility enables proactive decision-making, faster response to disruptions, and reduced risks associated with unpredictable events.

Enhanced visibility means being able to track parts from suppliers through distribution centres to dealerships or customers. Effective visibility also facilitates more proactive supplier management, ensuring responsiveness to fluctuations in demand or supply disruptions.

Visibility can be improved through:

• Real-time tracking and monitoring systems
• Integrated ERP and WMS solutions
• Predictive analytics to foresee potential disruptions

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants can assess and implement integrated technology solutions, such as cloud-based platforms and real-time analytics tools, providing clear end-to-end visibility to support timely and effective decision-making.

Strategic Procurement and Supplier Relationships

Procurement within automotive supply chains significantly impacts cost efficiencies and service reliability. Strategic procurement practices can help manage supplier risk, enhance purchasing leverage, and achieve economies of scale.

Key procurement strategies include:

• Consolidation and rationalisation of suppliers
• Leveraging scale in procurement
• Strategic sourcing and contracting to improve cost-effectiveness
• Establishing long-term partnerships to ensure supplier reliability and flexibility

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants supports automotive clients in designing and executing robust procurement strategies, offering strategic sourcing reviews, spend analysis, and supplier benchmarking. Our approach ensures organisations gain the best commercial outcomes while maintaining supply chain resilience.

Streamlining Warehousing and Distribution

Efficient warehousing operations and a strategically designed distribution network ensure automotive parts arrive at the right location, on time, and in the most cost-effective manner.

Critical considerations include:

• Warehouse Network Optimisation: Ensuring warehouses are strategically located to minimise transportation costs and maximise responsiveness.
• Warehouse Automation: Investing in automation and robotics to increase accuracy, reduce labour costs, and improve efficiency.
• Transport Management Systems (TMS): Optimising transport networks to enhance delivery performance and reduce transport costs.

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants delivers comprehensive warehouse and transport optimisation solutions, working closely with automotive businesses to strategically design warehouse networks, enhance operational efficiency, and optimise logistics and transport strategies.

Mitigating Risks and Improving Compliance

Automotive supply chains are increasingly complex, making them vulnerable to risks, including supplier disruptions, regulatory compliance issues, and economic uncertainties.

Strategies for risk mitigation and compliance include:

• Supply chain diversification
• Regular benchmarking and performance monitoring
• Compliance with sustainability and modern slavery regulations
• Transparent supplier relationship management practices

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants offers thorough benchmarking and auditing services to help automotive organisations identify, manage, and mitigate supply chain risks. We also assist organisations in achieving compliance with evolving regulations around sustainability, modern slavery, and ethical sourcing.

Implementing Robust Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)

A robust Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process helps automotive businesses align demand forecasts, inventory levels, production schedules, and procurement activities.

Key elements include:

• Collaborative demand planning
• Integrated supply and demand forecasting
• Scenario planning to manage disruptions proactively
• Data-driven decision-making through advanced planning systems

How Trace Consultants Can Help:

Trace Consultants has extensive experience establishing effective S&OP frameworks, helping automotive organisations to better align operations, manage inventory effectively, and respond rapidly to changes in market conditions.

Why Partner with Trace Consultants?

Trace Consultants are supply chain specialists, deeply experienced in navigating the challenges faced by automotive organisations in Australia and New Zealand. Our approach combines advanced analytics, tailored solutions, and hands-on implementation support, helping your organisation achieve measurable improvements quickly.

Key services we offer include:

• Comprehensive Supply Chain Diagnostics
• Network Optimisation and Strategic Reviews
• Inventory and Procurement Optimisation
• Technology assessments and implementations (including Microsoft Power Apps and predictive analytics)
• Change management and capability building to ensure sustainable improvements

By collaborating with Trace Consultants, automotive organisations benefit from strategic insights, actionable recommendations, and dedicated support, ensuring transformation projects deliver tangible, lasting results.

Ready to Optimise Your Automotive Supply Chain?

Optimising your automotive parts supply chain isn’t just about reducing costs—it's a strategic move to boost your competitive advantage, enhance customer satisfaction, and future-proof your operations.

How prepared is your organisation to transform your automotive parts supply chain? Reach out to Trace Consultants today to discuss how we can help you achieve supply chain excellence.

For Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Manufacturing companies in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) are vital for staying competitive in 2025. As supply chains face volatility—from fluctuating consumer demand to logistical disruptions—a refreshed S&OP and IBP process can align your teams, cut costs, and boost agility. At Trace Consultants, we’re committed to helping ANZ businesses transform these processes into strategic assets that deliver results.

This article explores how FMCG and Manufacturing firms can refresh their S&OP and IBP, focusing on key enablers like technology (e.g., Advanced Planning Systems and Microsoft Power Apps), executive support, and a single set of numbers. We’ll explain why good S&OP should be forward-looking, assess trade-off decisions, and deliver actionable insights, and show how Power Apps can supercharge your workflows and reporting. Finally, we’ll highlight how Trace Consultants can guide you through this journey with tailored solutions.

Why Refreshing S&OP and IBP Matters in 2025

S&OP bridges sales, operations, and finance to balance supply with demand, while IBP integrates strategic and financial planning for a holistic view. For ANZ FMCG companies like Goodman Fielder or Manufacturing firms like Fletcher Building, these processes are critical to managing fast-moving SKUs or complex production schedules in a region with long lead times and seasonal fluctuations.

The ANZ Challenge

In 2025, ANZ supply chains face unique pressures: port delays due to cyclones, dairy export volatility, and shifting consumer preferences toward eco-friendly products. An outdated S&OP or IBP process can lead to stockouts, overstocking, or misaligned priorities—costing time and money. A refresh ensures your business stays responsive and aligned.

Key Enablers for a Successful S&OP and IBP Refresh

To make S&OP and IBP effective in 2025, ANZ firms need to focus on three core enablers: technology, executive support, and unified data.

1. Technology: Powering S&OP with APS and Beyond

The Role of APS

Advanced Planning Systems (APS) like SAP IBP, Oracle, or Kinaxis are foundational for S&OP and IBP. They enable real-time data integration, demand forecasting, and scenario planning—essential for FMCG’s rapid cycles or Manufacturing’s production schedules.

ANZ-Specific Tech Needs

ANZ’s geography demands tech that handles complexity, like forecasting for remote plants or managing delayed shipments. APS tools provide the visibility to simulate disruptions (e.g., a flood’s impact on logistics) and adjust plans dynamically.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

Trace Consultants excels in tech integration. We’ll evaluate your systems, recommend the best APS for your needs, and ensure it powers your S&OP/IBP process effectively.

2. Executive Support: Leading from the Top

Why Leadership Counts

S&OP and IBP succeed when executives champion them. In ANZ, where silos between sales and operations can disrupt FMCG or Manufacturing workflows, leadership buy-in aligns teams toward shared goals—whether it’s cutting costs or improving service.

Fostering Collaboration

Executive support means prioritising regular S&OP meetings, encouraging data-driven decisions, and holding teams accountable. It sets the tone for a unified strategy.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

We’ll partner with your leadership to secure buy-in, designing S&OP/IBP frameworks that align with your goals. Our change management expertise ensures executives lead effectively, driving adoption across your organisation.

3. One Set of Numbers: A Single Source of Truth

The Value of Unified Data

Conflicting data—like sales forecasts differing from finance budgets—undermines S&OP and IBP. A single set of numbers ensures everyone works from the same playbook. For Manufacturing, this aligns production with demand; for FMCG, it matches stock to sales.

Overcoming ANZ Data Hurdles

ANZ firms often face fragmented data—think rural plants with delayed ERP updates. A unified platform, often powered by APS, eliminates discrepancies and builds trust.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

Trace Consultants will unify your data into a single, reliable source. We’ll create reporting dashboards that provide real-time visibility, ensuring your S&OP/IBP decisions are grounded in facts.

Leveraging Microsoft Power Apps to Supercharge S&OP and IBP

Beyond APS, Microsoft Power Apps offers a powerful way to enhance S&OP and IBP by integrating with existing ERP and APS technologies, automating workflows, and improving reporting.

1. Automating Workflows with Power Apps

Streamlining Processes

Power Apps lets you build custom applications that automate repetitive S&OP/IBP tasks—like data entry, approvals, or meeting prep—directly within your ERP or APS environment. For FMCG, this could mean automating stock updates during a promo; for Manufacturing, it’s streamlining production plan approvals.

ANZ Benefits

In ANZ, where teams are often spread across regions (e.g., a plant in Tasmania vs. a head office in Auckland), automation reduces delays and errors, ensuring S&OP/IBP cycles run smoothly.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

Trace Consultants will design and deploy Power Apps solutions tailored to your S&OP/IBP needs. We’ll automate workflows, integrating with your ERP and APS, to save time and boost efficiency.

2. Enhancing Reporting Capabilities

Better Insights with Power Apps

Power Apps integrates with Power BI to create dynamic, user-friendly dashboards that pull data from your APS and ERP. This gives your team real-time insights—like demand trends or inventory risks—during S&OP/IBP meetings, making discussions more actionable.

ANZ-Specific Reporting Needs

ANZ firms need reporting that reflects local realities, like seasonal demand spikes or shipping delays. Power Apps dashboards can highlight these, ensuring your S&OP/IBP process is data-driven and relevant.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

We’ll build custom Power Apps dashboards that enhance your reporting, pulling data from your APS and ERP for a seamless view. Our solutions ensure your insights are clear, actionable, and ANZ-focused.

What Good S&OP and IBP Look Like in 2025

A refreshed S&OP and IBP process is a strategic driver, not just a meeting. Here’s what “good” looks like for ANZ FMCG and Manufacturing firms.

1. Forward-Looking: Anticipating the Future

Why Forward-Looking Matters

Good S&OP/IBP looks ahead, forecasting demand, risks, and opportunities. For FMCG, it’s predicting a summer beverage boom; for Manufacturing, it’s planning for a construction surge.

Forward-Looking in ANZ

In ANZ, this means preparing for disruptions—like a wet season delaying shipments—or opportunities, like a new trade deal boosting exports. Predictive analytics, enhanced by APS and Power Apps, keep you proactive.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

We’ll design your S&OP/IBP to be forward-focused, embedding predictive tools into your APS and Power Apps dashboards. Our S&OP Template Decks will guide your team through strategic discussions, ensuring plans are future-ready.

2. Assessing Trade-Off Decisions: Making Smart Choices

The Importance of Trade-Offs

S&OP/IBP should evaluate trade-offs: do you hold extra stock to avoid shortages, or cut inventory to save costs? For FMCG, it’s balancing shelf-life risks; for Manufacturing, it’s production costs vs. lead times.

Trade-Offs in ANZ

ANZ’s long supply routes amplify trade-offs—stocking more in Perth costs extra but ensures service during floods. Scenario planning in S&OP/IBP helps you decide wisely.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

Trace Consultants embeds trade-off analysis into your process. We’ll implement scenario tools in your APS and Power Apps, and provide training to assess options, ensuring decisions are balanced and informed.

3. Actionable Insights: Turning Data into Decisions

From Insights to Action

S&OP/IBP meetings often get bogged down in data—good ones deliver insights you can act on. For FMCG, it’s adjusting stock for a promotion; for Manufacturing, it’s tweaking schedules to meet a deadline.

Actionable in ANZ

ANZ firms need insights that address local challenges—like adjusting for a late harvest in Hawke’s Bay. Clear KPIs, powered by Power Apps dashboards, ensure discussions lead to outcomes.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

We’ll ensure your S&OP/IBP delivers actionable insights. Our Power Apps dashboards provide real-time, ANZ-relevant metrics, and our coaching helps teams turn insights into decisions that drive results.

Challenges of Refreshing S&OP and IBP

Revamping S&OP/IBP comes with challenges for ANZ firms:

1. Data Fragmentation

Siloed systems—like separate ERP for plants—create conflicting data.

2. Change Resistance

Teams may resist new processes or tools like Power Apps.

3. Resource Limits

ANZ’s tight budgets can constrain tech or training investment.

4. Regional Complexity

Long lead times and diverse demand add planning layers.

These hurdles are manageable with expert support.

Opportunities with a Refreshed S&OP and IBP in 2025

A modern S&OP/IBP process offers ANZ businesses:

• Cost Efficiency: Align stock with demand to reduce waste.
• Improved Service: Meet customer needs without overstocking.
• Agility: Respond faster to market shifts.

For FMCG, it’s fresher products; for Manufacturing, it’s smoother production. With Power Apps enhancing workflows, 2025 is your year to lead.

How Trace Consultants Can Help ANZ FMCG and Manufacturing Thrive

At Trace Consultants, we bring proven expertise to ANZ’s FMCG and Manufacturing sectors. Here’s how we support your S&OP/IBP refresh:

1. Design

We’ll create an S&OP/IBP framework tailored to your business, aligning sales, operations, and finance.

2. Implementation Support

From APS and Power Apps integration to process rollout, we’ll ensure a seamless refresh.

3. Change Management

We’ll guide your teams through the transition, addressing resistance and securing buy-in.

4. RACIs

Our Responsibility Assignment Matrices (RACIs) clarify roles, ensuring accountability.

5. Reporting Dashboards

We’ll build custom dashboards—leveraging Power Apps and Power BI—for real-time visibility.

6. S&OP Template Decks

Our pre-designed S&OP Template Decks streamline meetings, focusing on forward-looking strategies.

7. Training

We’ll train your teams on S&OP/IBP best practices, including Power Apps usage.

8. Coaching

Our ongoing coaching ensures your S&OP/IBP matures, delivering actionable insights.

We work hands-on, turning strategy into results. With Trace Consultants, your S&OP/IBP becomes a competitive advantage.

Looking Ahead: Your S&OP and IBP Advantage in 2025

In 2025, refreshing S&OP and IBP—powered by APS, Power Apps, executive support, and unified data—sets ANZ FMCG and Manufacturing firms apart. Plan proactively, weigh trade-offs wisely, and act on insights decisively to stay ahead. For CFOs, it’s efficiency; for CSCOs, it’s alignment; for CIOs, it’s innovation.

Don’t let outdated processes hold you back. Contact Trace Consultants today. Let’s refresh your S&OP and IBP—because in ANZ, success demands better.

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Supply chain planning in 2025 is a critical lever for success, especially for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Retail, and Manufacturing companies in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). Implementing or upgrading an Advanced Planning System (APS) can transform how you navigate demand volatility, cost pressures, and logistical challenges. Leading APS providers—such as Oracle, SAP, Blue Yonder, Kinaxis, and o9 Solutions, all positioned as Leaders or Visionaries in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions (April 2024)—offer robust options to meet these needs. At Trace Consultants, we’re here to guide ANZ businesses through this process, delivering value for CFOs managing budgets, CSCOs building resilience, and CIOs integrating technology.

This article explores Supply Chain Planning, focusing on implementing or upgrading your APS. We’ll dive into Demand Driven Supply Chains, Forecasting Techniques, Dynamic Safety Stocks tied to forecast confidence, and pragmatic AI use, while touching on how top APS providers can fit your goals. For ANZ firms—from FMCG players like Fonterra to retailers like Woolworths or manufacturers like BlueScope—this is your roadmap to a smarter 2025.

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Why APS Matters for ANZ Supply Chains in 2025

In 2025, ANZ supply chains face a perfect storm: sprawling geography, unpredictable demand, and economic squeezes like inflation. An APS acts as a central hub, optimising demand, supply, and production planning to keep operations lean and responsive. For FMCG, it ensures fresh stock hits shelves; for Retail, it aligns with seasonal trends; for Manufacturing, it syncs production with orders.

The ANZ Landscape

From rural Queensland to Auckland’s retail zones, ANZ supply chains deal with seasonality (e.g., summer sales) and disruptions (e.g., cyclone-affected ports). Providers like Oracle, SAP, Blue Yonder, Kinaxis, and o9 Solutions bring tools to tackle these, making an APS a must-have for staying competitive.

Key Elements of APS Implementation or Upgrade

Let’s explore the core components of rolling out or refreshing your APS, with insights into top providers.

1. Demand Driven Supply Chains: Planning with Real-Time Insight

Understanding Demand Driven Supply Chains

Demand Driven Supply Chains (DDSC) pivot from forecast-driven push systems to demand-signal pull systems. This reduces excess stock and boosts agility—ideal for FMCG (e.g., snack demand spikes), Retail (e.g., holiday rushes), and Manufacturing (e.g., custom orders).

ANZ Relevance

ANZ’s dynamic markets—think dairy export shifts or Black Friday sales—thrive with DDSC’s flexibility. Buffering stock at strategic points and reacting to actual demand cuts waste and improves service. APS platforms like SAP Integrated Business Planning or Kinaxis RapidResponse excel at enabling this responsiveness.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

Trace Consultants specialises in DDSC implementation. We’ll evaluate your supply chain, identify key demand signals, and configure your APS—whether it’s SAP, Oracle, or o9 Solutions—to pull stock efficiently. Our tailored approach ensures your operations stay lean and customer-focused.

2. Forecasting Techniques: Precision in Prediction

Mastering Forecasting

Accurate forecasts are the backbone of APS success. Techniques include time-series analysis (tracking trends), causal models (tying sales to events), and machine learning (predicting anomalies). For FMCG, it’s forecasting milk runs; for Retail, it’s gauging fashion trends; for Manufacturing, it’s raw material needs.

ANZ’s Forecasting Challenges

ANZ’s diverse demand—urban vs. rural, seasonal vs. stable—requires a blended approach. Weather disruptions or promo spikes add complexity, where Oracle Demand Planning or Blue Yonder’s Luminate Planning shine with advanced analytics.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

We bring forecasting expertise to the table. Trace Consultants will customise techniques for your APS, refining data inputs to reflect ANZ’s quirks. Whether you choose Kinaxis or SAP, we’ll ensure your forecasts are spot-on, driving better decisions.

3. Dynamic Safety Stocks: Adapting to Confidence Levels

Moving Beyond Static Stocks

Static safety stocks lock up capital with fixed buffers. Dynamic Safety Stocks adjust based on forecast confidence: low uncertainty means lean stocks, high uncertainty triggers bigger buffers. This suits FMCG’s fast turnover, Retail’s trend cycles, and Manufacturing’s lead times.

Tying to Forecast Confidence

During a Retail peak like Christmas, high-confidence forecasts allow minimal stocks. In Manufacturing, uncertain supplier delays—like post-cyclone delays—demand higher buffers. This adaptability, supported by o9 Solutions’ AI-driven insights, proved valuable in past ANZ disruptions.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

Trace Consultants masters Dynamic Safety Stocks. We’ll integrate this into your APS—be it Blue Yonder or Oracle—linking it to forecast confidence metrics. Our data models optimise stock levels for ANZ’s volatility, freeing up cash while maintaining service.

4. Leveraging AI Pragmatically: Practical Power

AI’s Role in APS

AI transforms APS by enhancing forecasts, spotting patterns (e.g., Retail promo impacts), and suggesting actions. For FMCG, it tracks shelf-life risks; for Manufacturing, it optimises schedules. Kinaxis’s AI tools, for instance, predict demand shifts with precision.

Pragmatic Use in ANZ

ANZ firms don’t need AI overkill—just smart application. Starting with demand sensing (e.g., SAP’s AI features) and scaling to predictive maintenance can cut forecast errors by 20-30%, fitting budgets and goals.

How Trace Consultants Can Help

Trace Consultants takes a grounded approach to AI. We’ll select and integrate AI features into your APS—Oracle, o9 Solutions, or otherwise—focusing on practical gains like better forecasts and stock efficiency. Our rollouts are seamless and results-driven.

Challenges of Implementing or Upgrading an APS

Rolling out or upgrading an APS comes with hurdles for ANZ businesses:

1. Data Quality Issues

Inconsistent data—e.g., Retail’s fragmented POS systems—can derail APS performance.

2. Budget Constraints

High initial costs for software (e.g., Kinaxis licenses) or training strain FMCG and Manufacturing budgets.

3. Adoption Resistance

Staff clinging to old processes can slow SAP or Blue Yonder deployments.

4. ANZ Logistics Complexity

Long lead times (e.g., NZ imports) and remote sites challenge planning accuracy.

These are surmountable with expert guidance.

Opportunities with a Modern APS in 2025

A well-executed APS offers ANZ firms:

• Cost Efficiency: Dynamic stocks reduce tied-up capital.
• Service Excellence: DDSC ensures stock availability.
• Risk Mitigation: AI flags disruptions early.

For FMCG, it’s fresher goods; for Retail, it’s satisfied shoppers; for Manufacturing, it’s smoother production. With Oracle, SAP, Blue Yonder, Kinaxis, or o9 Solutions, 2025 is your year to shine.

How Trace Consultants Can Help ANZ Supply Chains Thrive

At Trace Consultants, we bring proven expertise to ANZ’s FMCG, Retail, and Manufacturing sectors. Here’s how we support your APS journey:

1. Demand Driven Implementation

We’ll transform your APS—whether Oracle or Kinaxis—into a DDSC powerhouse, aligning stock with real demand.

2. Forecasting Mastery

Our team will refine forecasting techniques for your APS, leveraging SAP or Blue Yonder’s strengths to match ANZ’s market.

3. Dynamic Stock Optimisation

We’ll set up Dynamic Safety Stocks in your APS—o9 Solutions or otherwise—tied to confidence levels for smart buffering.

4. Pragmatic AI Rollout

We’ll integrate AI into your APS, starting with practical tools from Kinaxis or Oracle, ensuring measurable impact.

5. Full Lifecycle Support

From data cleanup to training, we’ll guide your APS implementation or upgrade, ensuring it delivers long-term.

We don’t just consult—we deliver, partnering with you to make your APS a success. With Trace Consultants, your supply chain planning leaps forward.

Looking Ahead: Your APS Edge in 2025

In 2025, supply chain planning with a modern APS is how ANZ FMCG, Retail, and Manufacturing firms lead. Demand Driven Supply Chains keep you agile, precise forecasts cut risks, Dynamic Safety Stocks save cash, and pragmatic AI drives decisions. With top providers like Oracle, SAP, Blue Yonder, Kinaxis, and o9 Solutions, the tools are there—let’s make them work.

Take the next step. Contact Trace Consultants today. Together, we’ll implement or upgrade your APS, setting you up for a stronger 2025.

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