PP/DS Planning Time Fence

[Former Member]

Hello Experts,

I am having issues with huge demand drop-ins within the PP/DS Planning Time Fence.

What are the different possible ways to make the system push this drop-in demands beyond the PTF.

I would appreciate if someone has a better idea of managing this drop-in demands since just pushing

them beyond the PTF may create difficulty in managing the schedule.

Please provide any and all inputs.

Thanking you in advance.

Ujwal

[Former Member]

Ujwal,

There is no easy answer. You have to continuously analyze the source and volume of each one of these troublesome requirements, and be diligent in getting a root cause and solution.

If the material is a FGs part, and you are getting 'huge' demands inside the fence, you need to analyze the methods being used to confirm your sales orders.

If the material is an assembly or other lower level manufactured part, then you need to analyze how the processing time for all higher level materials matches with reality. It is also possible that decisions made by planners for higher level materials (e.g. range of coverage, safety stock, forecast parameters, etc etc etc) can adversely impact the planning of the lower level materials.

Finally, the RM planners are the last step in the chain of events. Virtually every planning decision made anywhere higher in the supply chain also affects RM planning. It takes quite an extensive analysis, unending communication, and a large commitment to business discipline, to generate RM plans that have neither shortages nor excess inventory.

I wish I had a better answer for you. It is a common problem in planning (and not just in SAP). Some companies are never able generate enough will power to solve this problem.

Best Regards,

DB49