MWPVL International Purchasing and Forecasting System Consulting Services

Purchasing systems manage the core procurement functions within an organization. Forecasting systems are often (but not always) stand-alone applications that provide companies with the ability to scientifically predict demand for their products to improve in-stock service levels and to maximize inventory turnover.

There are fundamental differences between the purchasing / forecasting systems used by manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Understanding these differences is critical to ensuring that your company optimizes inventory management.

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Manufacturers must manage the trade-offs between maximizing production capacity and fill rates, versus minimizing production/transportation expenses and inventory assets. The high cost of plant and equipment assets requires that optimizing equipment utilization is a key driver behind production planning. Multiple inputs to the planning process can include historical demand data, sales and operations plans, production capacity constraints of internal and outsourced production facilities, raw material supply constraints, and customer / market prioritization objectives. These trade-offs differ significantly from the purchasing and forecasting requirements of a retailer or distributor.

Retail and wholesale distributors must maximize order fill rates while concurrently minimizing working capital invested in inventory assets. Buyers often need to hit vendor-imposed item and/or purchase order constraints to minimize the cost of inbound transportation. Purchasing systems must also optimize turns for imported goods from international locations with long lead times. Forecasting systems need to be directly integrated into the purchase order creation process such that suggested purchase orders are presented to buyers who can then manipulate the suggested purchase order until it is released to the vendor.

MWPVL International understands the unique complexities associated with different vertical markets and industries because we have worked with many companies to manage the important details that translate into company-specific purchasing and inventory management strategies. MWPVL International has also cultivated an in-depth understanding of the application software market to ensure that our clients know which purchasing and forecasting applications are most suitable to their size of business and industry vertical.

MWPVL International works with suppliers, customers and business partners to provide unbiased consulting services that address the following types of questions:

Which purchasing / forecasting software application is best-suited for our company, size of business, industry vertical, preferred computing platform and financial budget?
Should our firm deploy a best of breed purchasing and forecasting system or should we acquire an application that is integrated into an ERP system?
What are the main features and functions that our company should expect from a purchasing / forecasting application?
What are the main differences between the commercial purchasing / forecasting applications available within the market place? Which vendors should our company consider evaluating based on our inventory management requirements?
Is there a structured process that our company should follow when selecting a purchasing / forecasting application to ensure due diligence and to protect our interests?

MWPVL International provides strictly unbiased consulting services and trusted experience in helping companies with:

Developing the economic business case and financial justification for a purchasing / forecasting application
Purchasing / forecasting requirements definition and RFP development
Development of structured software demonstration scripts
Vendor/solution evaluation and selection
Software negotiation and acquisition
Developing the project budget, plan, schedule, internal and external resource requirements for deployment
Project management

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MWPVL International Inc. is a full-service global Supply Chain, Logistics and Distribution Consulting firm. Our consulting services include Supply Chain Network Strategy, 3PL Outsourcing Strategy, Distribution Center Design, Material Handling Systems, Supply Chain Technology Advisory Services (WMS, TMS, LMS, YMS, OMS, DMS, Purchasing, Slotting ), Transportation Management, Distribution Operations Assessments, Warehouse Operations Consulting and much more.