Maine Pointe In The News

Originally published in Supply Chain Dive

Trends in personalization and fast shipping will require planning that goes beyond supply and demand. Maine Pointe's Brad Stitt, EVP Supply Chain Management, notes, “S&OP must not only go East to West but top to bottom,” indicating that businesses need to think outside of the traditional realm of supply chain planning.

Originally published in Nov. issue of CPGMatters

According to Rex Clothier, Maine Pointe VP CPG, the closing of non-profitable distribution centers is a real risk for CPG companies to consider. Anyone facing these challenges can take steps to mitigate this growing risk. Read his article here.

Originally published in ISM's Inside Supply Management

ISM’s Inside Supply Management Weekly published a second article based on their interview with Maine Pointe CEO Steve Bowen. Both articles represent an excellent proof point around Maine Pointe’s thought leadership on the digital supply chain. The second article, titled “Developing a holistic supply chain view in a digital age,” reinforces Steve’s book while also discussing the value of Total Value Optimization (TVO), with specific examples on how clients achieved an end-to-end supply chain view. The first article, “Identifying and seizing value-creation opportunities,” covers the missed opportunities of supply management and on creating value beyond just cost savings. 

Originally published in Consulting US

Steven Bowen, founder and CEO of supply chain and operations consultancy Maine Pointe, recently examined how sales and operations planning (S&OP) helps drive success and business integration in an article at Forbes.com.

Sales and operations planning (S&OP) allows executives to achieve focus and alignment across all business functions, utilizing strong communication and collaboration across functional teams, customers, and suppliers. An important part of S&OP is matching demand information to supply capability and financial objectives to drive top-level strategy – integrating marketing and sales, financial, and supply operations into a unified whole.

Originally published in Forbes

In his third Forbes article, Maine Pointe CEO Steve Bowen discusses some of the biggest C-suite challenges, the potential payoff of a successful S&OP plan, and some of the most common points of failure.

One of the biggest challenges faced by the C-suite is achieving an end-to-end demand/supply chain that is fully collaborative, with supply commitments properly balanced against demand. Sales and operations planning (S&OP) initiatives often plateau without any measurable payoff, and the result can be a stagnant culture resistant to change. Despite the challenges, S&OP continues to be a top priority among supply chain executives, and the potential for sustainable and measurable payoff is great.