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The solution? Driving improvements in three areas  

Backed by decades of serving the worldwide auto industry, and hundreds of customer success stories, Blue Yonder has identified three key capabilities OEMs need to embrace sooner rather than later:

• Increased collaboration and visibility across the network. Few industries can match the supply chain scale, scope and complexity of global auto manufacturing. It can be difficult to connect all supply chain partners for real-time awareness, collaboration and orchestration. Blue Yonder Network is designed to provide real-time connectivity and visibility across multi-tier supply chains, creating a fluid, dynamic ecosystem. Blue Yonder Network enables a holistic platform where automotive trading partners can seamlessly collaborate, plan, execute and re-execute as market conditions change. In addition, Blue Yonder Platform performs real-time, end-to-end monitoring, creating an early awareness of disruptions at any node. 
• Integrated, agile business planning practices. As multiple functions and partners create collaborative plans, Blue Yonder Platform is the purpose-built solution they need. With real-time order, shipment and inventory status, all supply chain partners can react to unforeseen changes in real time by intelligently adapting material procurement, transportation routes and modes, order processing and other activities. For example, Sales & Operations Planning can collaborate with Order Forecasting to plan for multiple models with different configurations and trims, over multiple markets and regional distribution centers. They can see stock in transit and at dealers, then plan accordingly. The Blue Yonder Platform enables seamless stakeholder engagement and consensus, so the larger supply network is working in alignment, not at cross-purposes. Automated scenario planning increases the confidence of all stakeholders and leads to more predictable outcomes, even in an unpredictable landscape. 
• Advanced production scheduling processes. It’s relatively easy to change sales forecasts and plans — especially when you consider the heavy lifting and high capital investments associated with car and truck manufacturing. Blue Yonder Platform’s Advanced Production Scheduling (APS) is designed to make it easier to translate detailed, dynamic, real-time forecasts and demand plans into detailed, dynamic, real-time manufacturing plans. Blue Yonder Platform’s APS uses specialized algorithms to consider data from across the network, both upstream and downstream. Then it transforms these massive amounts of data into smart plans aimed at meeting production deadlines and delivery dates, optimizing materials and finished inventory, and reducing operational costs across the manufacturing network. Sequencing, slotting and detailed scheduled happen on a flexible, fluid basis that minimizes cost and risk exposure, while maximizing capacities and service levels. 

The benefits of accurate, dynamic production planning across facilities extend across the supply chain. When automakers know their production plans for all plants, they can improve the cost and efficiency of execution due to better aligned transportation plans.

You’ve embraced product innovation. Now embrace planning innovation. 

The world’s car buyers have unprecedented choices today when it comes to purchasing a vehicle. From advanced EV powertrains to new autonomous driving functionality, the world’s OEMs have introduced amazing, innovative product features that make driving safer, more comfortable and more environmentally responsible. While that unprecedented product range has led to unprecedented demand uncertainty, we can all agree that EVs and other innovations are worth it.

Just as they’re invested in exciting product innovations, it’s time for OEMs to abandon their manual processes, human analysis and outdated legacy solutions. They need to match their product innovation with an equal level of planning and collaboration innovation. Blue Yonder has the end-to-end capabilities automakers need to get their competitive engines revving.