Puls8 Replan

?Pithy Planning 22 Hyper-Palatability & Corporate M&A!! Welcome to this week's edition of Pithy Planning. First up today an interesting article on the history of snacking in the US over the past 40 years and how "Snacks Won" as society itself changed and as the food industry evolved. ?? Article: How Snacks Took Over American Life https://lnkd.in/d4s8Fxp7 Either it points at a relentless pursuit of innovation tailored to peoples' changing consumption needs or that food companies know exactly how to get our attention throughout our waking hours. "The rhythms of our days may never be the same" ?? Industry News: Europe Snacks, General Mills and Campbell's Soup M&A advisors and Corporate Strategy teams clearly didn't get enough time off this summer. A flurry of F&B corporate announcements to share this week. Food Business news reports that One Rock Capital Partners, LLC has closed a deal to acquire Europe Snacks which is HQ'd in France and has 9 production facilities in France, the UK and Spain. https://lnkd.in/d8DyUBnf General Mills intends to divest its North American Yoplait business to Lactalis and SODIAAL https://lnkd.in/dK3kfG8C Campbells Soup are apparently losing their Soup (at least as far as their branding is concerned). The proposed rebrand is to focus consumer attention on the other food products across it's portfolio. Investors will vote on the proposal at the AGM in November. https://lnkd.in/dVxCrQB3 ?? Spin Out: Gousto breaks cover on subscription tech spin-out Bento https://lnkd.in/dT2XF-Wh Are we a tech company, a prepared meal company or both? Shareholders love operational leverage and tech profit margins. Tricky bit is running both companies successfully without getting distracted. Will be interesting to see how this evolves over the next few quarters. ?? Opinion Piece: The Fragile Ego of Planners We spotted this post by Venu Vashista on Linkedin last week and felt we had to share with our planning audience. Are egos and the need to add value to a complex process actually preventing improvement? Is a simpler solution getting lost in the noise? https://lnkd.in/dW2RMxx7 Thanks for reading. See you next week!

It's the start of an exciting new chapter for Replan - we've been successfully acquired by Demand Chain AI in the US! This move combines their cutting-edge Demand Planning capabilities, including Driver Based Forecasting, with Replan's AI-driven Supply Planning. Thanks to everyone on both teams who worked so hard to make this happen, particularly Richard Barter and Rick Davis. Lots more exciting developments to come as we integrate these two products, stay tuned!

?? Exciting News! Demand Chain AI Acquires Replan ?? We’re thrilled to announce that Demand Chain AI Inc. has acquired Replan! This strategic move expands Demand Chain AI's Puls8 Intelligent Planning Solutions, providing manufacturers with a much-needed end-to-end solution to help optimize their S&OP. https://lnkd.in/ghjA8TbV #SupplyChain #AI #Innovation

?? **Missed Our 7-Part Series on S&OP? No Problem!** You can now access the entire series on our resources page: https://lnkd.in/dgJ3Kwa4 Every day, we hear from supply chain leaders facing the same challenges. To help, we've collaborated with our partners to break down S&OP transformation into a series of bite-sized articles. Each article focuses on a key element of successful S&OP, sharing insights from experts across the field. Thank you to our partners who collaborated on these articles - Keith Holdsworth, Clive Geldard, Mohannad H. Gomaa, Toby Parnell, Mark Stallard, Morgan Anderson, Ali Yoguran, Eyüb Rahmi AYDIN #SupplyChain #Operations #S&OP #Collaboration #Innovation #ReplanTech #IndustryInsights

?Pithy Planning 21: Tex Mex, Freight Forwarding & Labour Planning!! ??? ARTICLE: You may know Paulig Group for their coffee, but did you know they're also market leaders in Tex Mex across Europe? Josua Fagerholm sat down with Paulig CEO Rolf Ladau to talk about their success and the challenges they've faced. ??Catch the full interview on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dG3akbXF ?? Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dH36vHMQ Our take - we found this interview super insightful on the fundamentals of building an F&B brand in the consumers mind and how to execute against the key elements underpinning a brand. ?? ARTICLE: The Forwarder Evolution that Wasn’t by Grant Sernick Most readers familiar with the logistics industry won’t be shocked by this piece. Flexport, once touted as the future of freight forwarding, seems to have missed the mark. Despite identifying key industry challenges—like the disconnect between importers’ ERP systems and forwarders’ shipment-based operations—Flexport’s solution fell short. Flexport aimed to create a platform bridging importers’ ERP systems with forwarders, solving communication gaps. However, importers use multiple forwarders, and data-sharing challenges hindered adoption. They also overestimated ERPs' ability to handle supply chain data, leading to operational issues. Now, its tech-driven vision remains unfulfilled amidst financial struggles. https://lnkd.in/dtwDkgbS Our Take: Having a product vision as a tech company is key to aligning the team and building for the right use cases. But what do you do when the vision isn't achieved or achievable? It seems that this is one of the core problems faced by Flexport as outlined in this article. ??? Webinar: Last week we hosted our Q3 Virtual Panel, tackling one of the biggest challenges for F&B manufacturers: Labour Planning. Our panel experts discussed key practicalities around labour planning for manufacturers, shared current strategies. Both Toby Parnell and James Watson offered valuable insights from their time with operations teams! Worth checking out! The recording is now available—check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dP7Eawhn ? Something fun: Adrian Newey, iconic F1 car designer, discusses his career, new team move, and evolving mindset in the latest High Performance Podcast. He reflects on the evolution of his design approach, the RB19 car, and emphasises humility and learning. The episode offers insights on overcoming challenges and staying future-focused. https://lnkd.in/dv_dGD52 Thanks for reading. Catch you next week!

Last week we hosted our Q3 Virtual Panel, tackling one of the biggest challenges for F&B manufacturers: Labour Planning. Our panel experts discussed key issues, shared current strategies, and offered valuable insights. Thanks Toby Parnell and James Watson! Missed the event? The recording is now available—check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dT_SPGdq. Want to learn how Replan can help optimise your labour planning? Drop us a DM today!

Thank you to everyone who joined our Q3 Industry Expert Virtual Panel last week! A special thanks to our incredible speakers, Toby Parnell and James Watson, for sharing their valuable insights that helped make the event such a success. For those who couldn’t attend or want to revisit the session, the recording will be available soon. Stay tuned! #IndustryExperts #Q3Panel #VirtualEvent

?Pithy Planning 20::: SKU PORTFOLIO STRATEGIES & SMART SNACK BARS!! Welcome to this weeks edition of Pithy Planning! ?? Watching, interpreting and hopefully understanding consumer behaviour is vital to any supply chain planning operation. Supply Chain Execs reviewing their current plans and 2025 strategies should spend time with this excellent piece of analysis. ??ARTICLE: "Stop Waiting and Hoping. Act." by Jeff Gell at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) ???? This piece sums up what the latest central bank data tells us about consumer patterns and suggests 3 alternative strategies for portfolio management and ultimately shareholder returns. https://lnkd.in/dxRSHpVu "Almost no one is delivering the old CPG algorithm of moderate revenue growth plus steady margin expansion plus predictable capital return." ??ARTICLE: Digital twins are speeding up manufacturing by The Economist ?? Most readers of this note won't be surprised by this piece in the Economist. It has a nice history of the origin of the term digital twin but it's a shame the authors didn't go a bit further to find use cases beyond aircraft engines and F1 cars. There are fantastic examples of digital twins in F&B and Pharma manufacturing that are delivering meaningful innovation and impact. More of this please! https://lnkd.in/dfYhBxM5 ?? VC ARTICLE: The most exciting time to invest in Industrial Tech in decades by Jacob Fellman at NGP Capital ?? More literature this week from the Investor community focused on Industrial Tech, Supply Chain and Manufacturing. The article introduces 5 categories driving industrial change. We'd argue the need for a 6th bucket focused on Supply Chain planning but otherwise a good analysis and worth checking out some of the emerging companies listed! https://lnkd.in/d9_gBzVU ?? Article: Snack Bars are getting smarter Consumers are increasingly focused on what they put into their bodies and are demanding more from their snacks. The snack bar industry is answering the call by evolving beyond traditional energy and protein bars. Today's innovations include bars that blend protein with functional mushrooms, carbs with caffeine, and support brain health and hormone balance. The latest trend is towards healthier, purpose-driven options that deliver not only on nutrition but also on taste and texture. The goal? Integrate powerful ingredients without sacrificing flavor or texture. https://lnkd.in/dFWqKzmU ?? Something Fun & Inspiring: The 2024 Paralympics has kicked off and if you haven't tuned in to watch, you're missing out on something truly extraordinary. These athletes are redefining what it means to be superhuman, achieving feats most of us can hardly imagine. I was blown away watching an archer with no arms hit a bullseye. https://lnkd.in/d5_RamYd

?? Unlock Labour Planning Success at Our Industry Expert Virtual Panel –Tomorrow, September 4th, 2024! ?? Want to hear from the top experts in the industry? Join Toby Parnell, Managing Director at Majaco and James Watson, Partner at Argon & Co as we dive into the crucial challenges of labour planning that could be costing manufacturers big. Both experts will reveal the common pitfalls and the tools and techniques that can make a real difference. What’s in it for you? ?? In-depth analysis of F&B labour planning challenges ?? Proven strategies to boost planning agility ?? Expert insights to elevate your operations Don’t miss this chance to gain actionable insights and stay ahead in the industry. Don’t miss out—secure your spot today: https://lnkd.in/d_HyHWCw

?? Save the Date: industry expert virtual panel on September 4th, 2024 ?? Get ready to supercharge your labour planning strategies! Join 50+ manufacturers and supply chain leaders for the best 30 minutes you'll invest this September. Where the spotlight will be on cutting-edge solutions for the F&B industry. Kicking off the event we'll have James Watson, Partner at Argon & Co, and Toby Parnell, Managing Director at Majaco. Both industry experts will share game-changing insights on labour planning in the F&B sector. This is your chance to gain powerful insights and stay ahead in the industry. Don’t miss out—secure your spot today: https://lnkd.in/dk92wNtw