Two of the biggest names in the global supply chain community, Carol Ptak and Richard (Dick) Ling, who is widely regarded as the “father” of Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), will be sharing their deep experience with South African supply chain professionals at the 2021 SAPICS Conference, the organisers have announced.

“We are honoured to have two supply chain legends speaking at the 43rd SAPICS Conference,” comments SAPICS president Keabetswe Mpane. 

She explains that Ling is recognised as the creator of Sales and Operations Planning and is a world-renowned educator, speaker and consultant. “He co-authored the first book on S&OP. He has helped businesses all over the world to maximise S&OP’s potential to generate more cash and increase return on investment.”

Carol Ptak is a partner with the Demand Driven Institute, a global organisation that was founded in 2011 to advance and proliferate Demand Driven strategies and practices. She has written and co-authored numerous articles and books on Demand Driven principles, finance and information and planning systems. 

Ling is currently collaborating with the Demand Driven Institute to develop the next generation of Sales and Operations Planning leveraging the Demand Driven Adaptive Enterprise (DDAE) model. “Demand Driven Material Requirements Planning (DDMRP) and S&OP make a perfect marriage,” he contends. “Not only do DDMRP & S&OP fit together, they need to be implemented together. DDMRP requires a process to provide it with changes to the operating environment. S&OP, properly implemented, is what DDMRP needs. S&OP, as it matures, develops an integrated reconciliation process which provides the appropriate bi-directional linkage that improves S&OP’s effectiveness. The integrated reconciliation process in S&OP is the perfect, bi-directional linkage that is needed by DDMRP for sustainability.

“When DDMRP and S&OP are properly linked with an integrated reconciliation team, the company will achieve effective communications and shared values in addition to sustained positive return on investment,” Ling says. “I predict a promising future for these two operating processes working together,” he asserts.

“This 2021 SAPICS presentation by Dick and Carol, which is entitled ‘Adaptive S&OP – Surviving, Adapting, and Thriving in the VUCA World’, is one not to be missed by South African supply chain professionals who want to learn how the perfect marriage of DDMRP and S&OP can optimise their business processes,” says Mpane. “VUCA is an acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity,” she explains. “It describes the challenging and unpredictable business environment in which we now operate, which astute, skilled supply chain professionals and their businesses must navigate. This VUCA world means that it has never been more important for supply chain professionals to keep learning, growing and sharing knowledge. As the leading event in Africa for supply chain professionals, the annual SAPICS Conference offers unrivalled education, skills development and knowledge sharing opportunities,” she concludes. 

The 2021 virtual SAPICS Conference takes place from 24 to 26 August 2021. Visit https://conference.sapics.org/ for more information on the 2021 SAPICS Conference or to register.