Logility Inc.’s Voyager Solutions Proportional Profile Planning software simplifies SKU-level planning for products where traditional demand planning techniques are ineffective, said the company. These challenges may exist when the SKU count is too large for individual interaction with each one, where the unique configurations of items have sporadic demand yet the family level plan is very predictable or when the final product specifications are not defined when a sourcing commitment must be made, Logility explained.

Voyager Proportional Profile Planning models the historical patterns of items with similar attributes. Planners gain visibility of a more accurate supply, sourcing and production plan earlier in the product life cycle, explained Logility. The user can quickly adjust product assortments based on the stage of a product life cycle, selling season or replenishment period, and reduce the noise in the end-to-end supply chain planning process.

Product attributes include a wide variety of characteristics such as finish, style, color, size, gender, region, speed, power, material type, trim level, and configuration. The complexity inherent in projecting demand calculations down through these multiple layers of product attributes has prevented many companies from disaggregating higher-level demand plans down to specific go-to-market plans, said Logility.

The company explained, Logility Voyager Solutions Proportional Profile Planning allows planners to work at a level of aggregation that is predictable and matched to their business requirements and then use product attributes to spread the forecast across lower levels of aggregation. Profiles can be defined as templates based on similar attributes early in the product development cycle to enable supply planning decisions even before marketing plans are final or component orders have been sourced.