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Manufacturing companies today face increasing
challenges to maximizing both profitability and customer
service. Product mixes are more diverse, requiring
advanced forecasting processes, portfolio analysis, and
efficient Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP). To
combat lower margins, manufacturers need to reduce costs
by automating routine and complex decision-making
processes. Supply chain networks are more complex.
Manufacturers have no choice but to collaborate in
real-time with suppliers and develop robust supply
chains. Customers are more demanding and in highly
competitive markets, outstanding customer service is
essential.
Solutions
The Vanguard System™ is a comprehensive business
solution for improving the quality, reliability, and
speed of management decisions. It does this by helping
you Collaborate with colleagues
on important plans, Analyze alternatives
using state-of-the-art modeling and simulation
techniques, Automate routine
decisions using expert system technology, and Improve
overall management effectiveness by adding
structure to a normally chaotic process.
Business improvement is all about working smarter.
Vanguard brings together the people, analytics, and
systems required to help your business operate
intelligently.
Here are just a few of the ways Vanguard supports the
manufacturing industry:
- Demand forecasting: Predict
demand for final products and raw materials, even
when historical data is scarce.
- Mix / Portfolio analysis:
Optimize product portfolios, pricing, and
promotions.
- Product development: Estimate
lifecycle costs and forecast adoption across all
channels.
- Sales and operations planning (S&OP):
Enable real-time collaboration between
Marketing & Sales and Operations to ensure
production capacity can profitably support
customer demand (and vice versa).
- Supply chain planning: Optimize
your supply chain network, inventory levels,
distribution plans, and more.
- Information sharing: Involve
suppliers and customers in planning processes.
Dynamically receive their latest demand and
material availability estimates.
- Operational efficiency: Conduct
process improvement/Six Sigma projects to reduce
costs, cycle times, and waste.
- Equipment diagnostics: Expertly
guide operators, technicians, and support agents
through complex troubleshooting processes using
automated question-and-answer sessions.
- Surveys and research: Know your
market and understand your customers' needs,
wishes, and opinions using online surveys.
Content Management System (CMS)
Vanguard Content Management System (CMS) is a Web-based expert system development tool for non-programmers. CMS Web-based applications guide customers or employees through complex decision-making processes using interactive, automated question and answer sessions. They are core software applications that can improve the operational efficiency of your key business processes.
Using CMS, manufacturers can reduce costs by automating routine and complex decision-making processes such as processing orders and managing customer support queries. The global availability and real-time data processing of Web-based CMS applications makes them perfectly suited to the distributed, complex and dynamic supply chains in manufacturing.
CMS applications can support order processing as product selectors for their products and services. Customers can view different pricing options through CMS Web applications in their Web browsers by answering questions, receive a quote based on the volumes they want, and then place an order. Orders can then be routed to processing systems in real-time.
Manufacturing customer support specialists can walk through CMS support scripting applications to enforce consistency in communication and assist them in deciding which questions to ask customers. In addition, customer support can be augmented with CMS self-service helpdesk applications that customers can use to resolve common problems.
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