In the world of supply and demand, manufacturers are working to bridge the gap between what is planned and what is re-ally happening. To help bridge that gap, Ottawa-based Webplan Corp., Tuesday announced version 7.3 of its RapidResponse software that helps manufacturers to anticipate supply chain issues, review alternatives and align operations accordingly.
The architecture behind RapidResponse enables users to connect to both front- and back-end systems to support a flow of information across multiple sites—a capability that allows Agilent Technologies Inc. to connect its supply chain data to its contract manufacturer’s backend systems.
“In the past, Webplan was rolled into our back-end Oracle Corp. system (for demand forecasting). Now our outsourcer does all the planning,” said Brent Hunter, CSTD materials manager at Agilent. “We disconnected from Oracle and integrated into our manufacturer’s backend system, and we use Webplan as a bridge. Now we have direct visibility into what our contract manufacturer is driving with our supply base.”