What You’ll Find in this Paper

In an era defined by relentless disruptions, shifting market dynamics, multi-sourced supplies, and unpredictable customer demands, the limitations and difficulties inherent in legacy supply chain planning systems—once hidden in plain sight—are now becoming painfully apparent to supply chain leaders. ketteQ’s PolymatiQ™-powered Adaptive Supply Chain Planning offers a fundamentally different approach—a modern approach, providing flexibility, proactive decision-making, and continuous learning.

This paper explores three key areas:

1. How uncertainty, constant firefighting, and the need for risk mitigation, along with the pursuit of maximum business performance, are accelerating the shift toward Adaptive Supply Chain Planning.

2. The reasons behind the growing obsolescence of traditional planning systems.

3. How ketteQ’s Adaptive Supply Chain solutions empower businesses to plan for every possibility, laying the groundwork for future autonomous supply chain planning.

Introduction: The Evolution of Supply Chain Planning

The landscape of supply chain planning has undergone a seismic shift driven by heightened volatility, changing business needs, increased connectivity, and a barrage of external disruptions. More than ever, supply chain planning is fraught with unpredictability in both supply and demand, pushing leaders to rethink their strategy. This shift is not merely about adopting the latest technology—it is also about managing uncertainty and mitigating risks in an era of hyper-connected supply chains. In this context, legacy systems have proven woefully inadequate, prompting a necessary shift toward adaptive planning solutions. ketteQ's PolymatiQ™ solver leads the way by offering the flexibility, resilience, and real-time responsiveness needed to navigate today’s complexities.

Static Models in a Dynamic World

Legacy systems were built for a simpler, less connected era, relying on fixed parameters that can’t adapt to today’s fast-changing business landscape. Static models struggle to accommodate demand fluctuations, supply chain disruptions, or rapid market shifts. This rigidity leaves businesses vulnerable and unable to respond quickly and efficiently when problems arise.

Reactive, Not Proactive

Traditional systems operate reactively. Problems are addressed after they have occurred, leading to delays, higher costs, and potential operational setbacks. In contrast, ketteQ’s adaptive planning solution takes a proactive approach, using real-time data and AI to explore a spectrum of potential outcomes and offer preemptive solutions, reducing disruptions before they occur.

Data Silos and a Lack of Collaboration

One of the biggest limitations of legacy systems is that they operate in silos. Data is fragmented across various departments, preventing holistic decision-making and cross-functional collaboration, where data warehouses only seem to add to the problems experienced. In a modern, complex supply chain, this lack of integration can lead to inefficiencies and poor performance. ketteQ addresses this by integrating real-time data across departments, enabling seamless collaboration and improving decision-making.

High Costs and Long Implementation Cycles

Legacy systems are costly to maintain and adapt. As businesses grow or markets evolve, making changes to these systems can be slow, cumbersome, and expensive. Lengthy implementation cycles often lead to further inefficiencies. ketteQ’s cloud-based platform offers faster implementation, scalability, and a lower total cost of ownership, allowing businesses to remain agile and responsive.

Adaptive Planning: A Solution Built for Today’s Complexities

ketteQ’s PolymatiQ™ solver delivers unparalleled real-time flexibility. In contrast to legacy systems that rely on outdated assumptions, PolymatiQ™ runs thousands of simulations to provide multiple potential outcomes. This ensures that businesses can rapidly adapt their supply chains to fluctuations in demand, supply chain disruptions, or unforeseen external events.

Proactive Decision-Making with AI and Machine Learning

ketteQ's adaptive planning solution empowers businesses to make proactive decisions driven by AI and machine learning. These advanced technologies continuously analyze real-time data to forecast disruptions, identify alternative scenarios, and vastly improve supply chain resiliency and performance. This gives companies a strategic edge over competitors who are stuck with reactive, slow-to-respond systems.

Continuous Learning for Better Adaptation

The PolymatiQ™ solver continuously learns from real-time market changes, adapting supply chain strategies dynamically to meet shifting demands. This continuous, AI-powered learning contrasts sharply with legacy systems that rely on manual updates and static inputs and assumptions. As a result, businesses can evolve their supply chain plans as market conditions shift, ensuring they remain competitive, resilient, and efficient.

Automated Scenario Analysis

One of ketteQ's standout features is its ability to run automated scenario analyses. By dynamically tuning parameters and running thousands of potential scenarios, PolymatiQ™ offers businesses critical insights into the range of possibilities and trade-offs they face. This level of flexibility and insight is beyond the capabilities of legacy systems, which are often slow, rigid, and manually driven.

Case Studies: How ketteQ Drives Results for Businesses

MobilityWorks: Increasing Flexibility in a Volatile Market

MobilityWorks, a leader in wheelchair-accessible vehicles, faced significant challenges in demand forecasting and inventory management in a highly volatile market. By adopting ketteQ’s PolymatiQ™ solver, MobilityWorks was able to run multiple scenarios and dynamically adjust its supply chain strategies. This resulted in improved forecast accuracy, shorter lead times, and enhanced operational efficiency, enabling the company to stay competitive and responsive in a challenging market.

Carrier: Mitigating Risk and Optimizing Performance

Carrier, a global leader in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, turned to ketteQ to help mitigate supply chain risks and optimize performance. ketteQ’s PolymatiQ™ solver allowed Carrier to proactively manage disruptions, forecast supply chain risks, and optimize supplier performance. By identifying potential issues before they escalated, Carrier was able to reduce costs, optimize inventory levels, and enhance overall supply chain efficiency.

Trimble Transportation: Enhancing Forecast Accuracy and Productivity

Trimble Transportation sought to improve forecast accuracy and overall supply chain productivity. By implementing ketteQ’s adaptive planning solution, the company was able to run thousands of simulations in real time, boosting forecast accuracy by 10% and improving productivity across its supply chain. This demonstrates how adaptive planning can lead to tangible, measurable improvements in supply chain performance.

Adaptive Planning: The Key Enabler for Semi-Autonomous and Autonomous Supply Chains

While adaptive planning is crucial for managing today's complex supply chain environment, it also serves as the key enabler for the journey toward semi-autonomous and fully autonomous supply chain systems. Adaptive planning is the first step, providing flexibility, continuous learning, and real-time data integration that will evolve into systems requiring minimal human intervention. As businesses grow more comfortable with adaptive strategies, they move closer to semi-autonomous operations, where AI-driven systems handle most of the tasks and decision-making.

The Role of AI and Machine Learning

ketteQ’s platform, powered by AI and machine learning, plays a pivotal role in this transition. By continuously learning from data and running thousands of simulations, ketteQ’s PolymatiQ™ solver not only enables better decision-making today but also lays the groundwork for AI to manage more aspects of supply chain operations autonomously in the future. This approach transforms supply chains from being reactive and manual to proactive and self-regulating.

A Phased Approach Toward Autonomy

The journey to autonomous planning does not happen overnight—it requires a phased approach. ketteQ supports businesses at every stage of this journey, starting with adaptive planning. By integrating real-time data, continuous learning, and AI-driven scenario analysis, businesses can gradually reduce their reliance on manual processes and build toward semi-autonomous systems. The final phase will involve the deployment of fully autonomous systems, where AI continuously monitors the supply chain, predicts potential risks, and makes real-time adjustments without human intervention.

ketteQ's Competitive Advantages

• Real-Time Data Integration

Unlike legacy systems that rely on outdated parameters, ketteQ integrates real-time data directly from a variety of sources, including sales, operations, and finance. This seamless integration allows businesses to make more informed, holistic decisions and enhances collaboration across departments. By connecting all functions of a business, ketteQ’s solution elevates supply chain planning to the next level.

• Salesforce-Enabled Collaboration

ketteQ is the only supply chain planning solution deployed natively on Salesforce, providing businesses with a 360-degree view of their operations. This integration ensures that data from sales, marketing, operations, and finance is synchronized in real-time, breaking down silos and fostering better decision-making. With Salesforce integration, businesses can deploy ketteQ’s solution rapidly, with reduced implementation complexity and a quicker time to value.

• Faster Time to Value

With its cloud-based, open architecture, ketteQ provides faster implementation cycles compared to legacy systems, which often take years to deploy. The platform leverages modern technologies, including standard tools like SQL, Python, and JSON, allowing businesses to utilize their existing technology investments and avoid costly upgrades. ketteQ’s quicker implementation results in a faster time to value, giving businesses a competitive edge in today’s fast-moving environment.

From Adaptive to Autonomous Supply Chains

While adaptive planning is essential for today’s dynamic environment, the ultimate goal is to transition toward semi-autonomous and autonomous supply chains. These systems will use AI and machine learning to manage supply chain processes with minimal human intervention. ketteQ’s platform is designed to support this transition, providing the foundation for companies to evolve their supply chains into self-regulating, highly efficient systems.

A Phased Approach to Autonomous Planning

Moving from legacy systems to adaptive planning—and eventually to autonomous systems—requires a phased approach. ketteQ supports businesses through each stage of this journey. By integrating real-time data and continuous learning, companies can enhance their adaptive capabilities. As they grow more comfortable with automated scenario analysis, they can gradually shift toward semi-autonomous planning, where AI and machine learning make high-speed scenario analyses and self-regulate processes.

ketteQ: A Future-Proof Solution for the Supply Chain

The limitations of legacy systems are becoming increasingly clear in today’s volatile, complex supply chain environment. As companies face continuous disruptions and rapid market changes, they require a solution that is flexible, responsive, and capable of real-time decision-making. ketteQ’s PolymatiQ™-powered Adaptive Supply Chain Planning offers a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking to future-proof their operations.

Why Businesses Choose ketteQ

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Companies seeking to maximize operational and financial performance are increasingly choosing ketteQ for its real-time flexibility, proactive decision-making, and seamless integration across departments. Whether it's improving forecast accuracy, optimizing inventory, or mitigating risks, ketteQ empowers businesses to plan for every possibility.

From mid-market leaders like MobilityWorks to global giants like Carrier and Trimble Transportation, ketteQ’s adaptive supply chain solutions are designed to evolve with changing business needs, offering the scalability and insight necessary to remain competitive in a fast-moving world.

In today’s environment, businesses can no longer afford to rely on legacy systems that can’t keep pace with disruption. ketteQ’s Adaptive Supply Chain Planning, powered by PolymatiQ™, offers businesses the tools they need to stay ahead of the curve. By adopting ketteQ’s solution, businesses can shift from firefighting mode to future-proofing their supply chains—ensuring they are ready to navigate whatever the future brings.

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