Supply chain forecasting – Collaborative forecasting supports supply chain management

Supply chain management is built on the principles of partnerships and the development and use of the connections that exist between the links of the chain to provide information that will increase the efficiency of all members in the chain. Success stories abound describing lower costs, shorter lead times and increased customer service. Collaborative forecasting applies supply chain management concepts to the forecasting function and uses available information and technology to force a shift from independent, forecasted demand to dependent, known demand. Eventually, the future of forecasting may evolve to the point where forecasting is not even necessary. Demand information will be supplied completely by supply chain partners and the need to predict demand will be eliminated.