Aiming to help consumer goods manufacturers improve response to demand, Oracle has brought out a new application, called Oracle Demand Signal Repository. The application captures, cleanses, and harmonizes large volumes of external demand data, Oracle said, providing users with improved insight into consumer and supply chain activity.
The Oracle Demand Signal Repository application works with a variety of data sources, including stores or retail distribution centers. The application specifically targets stock-outs, the management of promotions and new product introductions, and, ultimately, reduced costs owing to more accurate demand planning.
According to a recent report by analyst firm Gartner, "One of the major factors that has limited the successful adoption of category management across the consumer goods industry has been difficulty in coming to grips with all the data needed to build a clear picture of demand. Recent developments in technology and the increasing adoption of more collaborative business approaches are beginning to change this."
The Oracle Demand Signal Repository incorporates certain analytical capabilities from Oracle's Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition, allowing users to process incoming data into actionable information, the company said. Consumer goods manufacturers, in particular, can gain near-real-time insight into store-level sales and inventory trends, enabling the identification of potential supply issues or opportunities.
The application is designed to work with other enterprise software applications by providing quality demand data for broader operational initiatives, including demand planning, trade promotion analysis and optimization, sales and operations planning, retail execution, and product lifecycle management, Oracle said. Oracle Demand Signal Repository includes out-of-the-box integration with the company's demand management product, Demantra, as well as other demand management products, and can also be connected to syndicated and downstream data sources, regardless of which planning system is in place on the back end.
"In the past, consumer goods companies have taken an ad hoc approach to capturing and managing external data based upon when new information sources become available," said Jeff Wexler, vice president for Oracle's retail and consumer goods product strategy business, in a statement. "Oracle Demand Signal Repository ... allows companies to harness large volumes of disparate data to drive execution across the enterprise while reducing IT complexities and costs."
The Oracle Demand Signal Repository is available now as a part of the Oracle Advanced Planning and Scheduling Feature Pack Release 12.1. The application also can be purchased independently for use in heterogeneous settings, the company said.
The application is part of Oracle's Information-Driven Value Chains strategy for supply chain management, which includes three other new offerings for advanced supply chain planning: Oracle Manufacturing Operations Center, Oracle Advanced Planning Command Center, and Oracle Service Parts Planning.