“Enterprise Resource Planning”. The word “planning” is right there in the name. Yet walk into any manufacturing, distribution, or retail operation, and you’ll find planners doing their actual planning somewhere else — usually in spreadsheets. This goes back to the origins of both business computing and our understanding of how to think about the future.
ERP is Backwards – Why Enterprise Resource Planning Can’t Plan Read More »
Introduction When we make a plan in supply chain, we like single numbers. After all, a plan needs to be executed. When placing a purchase order, we need an exact quantity to order. Production needs to know exactly how many parts to produce. We cannot use ranges or probabilities in execution. So it is understandable
How to Model Demand Uncertainty in Excel without Complicated Maths Read More »
This article explains how to build a simple manufacturing budget using the Fast Excel Development Template. We’ll calculate material, machine, and manpower cost requirements for several demand scenarios and compare available work center hours with the workload. On top of that, I’ll share a few new features recently added to the FEDT, along with the companion tool described in the article.
Demand scenarios: automate your manufacturing budget with zero coding Read More »
We have talked about extending Excel with Python. there are a number of reasons you might want to extend Excel with Python. Most of these have to do with getting functions and capability that you just can’t access within a spreadsheet environment. Examples we have given before include simulation, optimization and forecasting. For 25 years
Running Python with Excel… or In Excel Read More »
We have been talking recently about extending Excel with Python. Here is a webinar recording that covers that discussion with a live demonstration and some examples. I made the point that if you are comfortable with Excel and are getting some good results in planning there, you should only go to Python for the right
Concepts and Design for Inventory Simulation in Excel and Python Read More »
“If this is a template, why are most of the sheets blank?”
“What is a modular system? How will this help my planning?”
We will answer these questions, and more.
NEW RELEASE – Fast Excel Development Template v4.2.0 – Now Supporting Modular Systems Read More »
Our latest version of the Fast Excel Development Template fully supports modular systems. We have written here and there about modular systems. But, up until now, we have yet to provide in-depth content on how modules work and why you would use them instead of a single workbook. This article will be the first in
Dynamic Adaptive Scheduling is a way to quickly switch between Make-to-Stock and Make-to-Order on the fly.
Learn how production scheduling in Excel can respond to changing demand conditions without the need to redesign the stock positioning. And how to get a copy of the scheduling tool- free!
The demand history can’t tell us everything about the future, but it can tell us some things. This article and video outlines exactly what and shows an example of automated forecasting in an Excel tool.
Demand Forecasting – History as a Guide to the Future? Read More »
Here is a story about an attempt to size inventory buffers, by measuring demand variability. It is based on a true story and there are lessons learned from real experience.
I’ll tell you the story in both words and data. I have compiled a dataset and will share it here.
In this article we explain how to use Excel and the Fast Development Method to build an advanced and fully automated Inventory Analysis Tool with zero VBA coding
The pandemic economy is shrinking software budgets. You can build your business grade distributed system based on Excel with ZERO coding and ZERO software budget. Learn how our Fast Excel Development Template 4.0 make it possible.
A new MRP tool and training workshop for free. But, only if you take them together.
An Experiment – Doing MRP in Excel – Free Training and Download Read More »
Video tutorial on how to build your own planning systems with no software coding.
How to Build Your Own Planning Systems – With No Coding Read More »
Here is a Material Planning Template. It is pretty good, as far as planning templates go.
Here is what home-building can teach us about building templates and tools.
The Material Planning Template Read More »
A Replay of the webinar – DDMRP in Excel – From Idea to Execution.
DDMRP in Excel – From Idea to Execution – Webinar Replay Read More »
The Inventory Analysis Tool is a simple way to quantify and visualise the inventory cover you have and where are the opportunities for improvement of customer service with a lower inventory cost.
Inventory Analysis Tool Read More »
Here is the full recording from our recent webinar “How to Build your Own Capacity Planning Tool in Excel.
It walks you through, step by step, the process of building a Capacity Planning Tool, similar to our Ten Minute Material Planning Tool.
How To Build Your Own Capacity Planning Tool in Excel – Webinar Replay Read More »
A replay of the Inventory Analysis Tool Webinar.
Inventory Analysis Tool Webinar Replay Read More »
We show you how to build our Capacity Planning Tool with our Fast Excel Development template.
How to Build Your Own Capacity Planning Tool in Excel Read More »
