The Next Leap in Centralized Pro-active Decision Support for Supply Chain Management (SCM) Decisions – Closing the Gap between Planning and Execution by Enhancing Centralization and Interweaving New Technologies Supporting Collaboration Behavior Across Supply Chain Components and Decision Tiers

Ken Fordyce, Brian Denton, Markus Ettl, Peter Lyon, John Milne,
Rahul Nahar, Bob Orzell , Robert Rice, and Gary Sullivan.
 Contact author is Ken Fordyce 914/388-0132 fordyce@us.ibm.com


This presentation describes a set of logical evolutionary enhancements to the core pro-active decision technology supporting the IBM Microelectronics SCM processes that is currently underway to position IBM Microelectronics to remain best of breed in SCM function.  These enhancements include: (1) establishing a division wide CPE that runs daily with features such as stability, lot sizing, full demand pegging, and dampening, (2) division wide monitoring and tracking function called AIRR (assess, identify, repair, respond) which includes not just monitoring but assists with identifying opportunities to improve the delivery performance of key product (expedite or additional capacity), enhances ATP, and extends WIPCA, and (3) Enhanced DM (OEM forecast) function including advanced forecast algorithms and monitoring and alert function.  To achieve these enhancements the PROFIT team will interweave new extensions to core centralization decision technologies such as linear programming and emerging decision technologies to support collaboration such as intelligent agents and sense and respond (SaR).  The goal is to make the following statement true:  “It is a new kind of entity.  It's a COMMUNITY INTELLIGENCE, born from the collective wisdom of various disciplines, experiences, and points of view, which dynamically disseminates the new intelligence around the same community that engendered it, solving problems that are “too tough for us humans to figure out’ ” {Feigenbaum, pp. 63-64).