Herbert Meyr – författare

In recent years, supply chain planning has emerged as one of the most challenging problems in the industry. As a consequence, the planning focus is shifting from the management of plant-speci?c operations to a holistic view of the various logistics and productionstages, that is an approach in which suppliers, productionplants and customers are considered as constituents of an integrated network. A major dr- ing force behind this development lies in the globalization of the world economy, which has facilitated the co-operation between different partners working together in world-wide logistics networks. Hence, considerable cost savings can be gained from optimizing the structure and the operations of complex supply networks li- ing plants, suppliers, distribution centres and customers. Consequently, to improve the performance of the entire logistic chain, more sophisticated planning systems and more effective decision support are needed. Clearly, successful applications of supply chain management have driven the development of advanced planning systems (APS), which are concerned with s- porting decision-making activities at the strategic, tactical and operational decision level. These software packages basically rely on the application of quantitative methods, which are used to model the underlying complex decision problems c- sidering the limited availability of resources and the need to react on time to customer orders. The core module at the mid-term level of APS comprises op- ational supply chain planning. In many industries, productionstages are assigned to differentplantsand distribution centreshave been established at geographicallyd- persed locations.

In recent years, supply chain planning has emerged as one of the most challenging problems in the industry. As a consequence, the planning focus is shifting from the management of plant-speci?c operations to a holistic view of the various logistics and productionstages, that is an approach in which suppliers, productionplants and customers are considered as constituents of an integrated network. A major dr- ing force behind this development lies in the globalization of the world economy, which has facilitated the co-operation between different partners working together in world-wide logistics networks. Hence, considerable cost savings can be gained from optimizing the structure and the operations of complex supply networks li- ing plants, suppliers, distribution centres and customers. Consequently, to improve the performance of the entire logistic chain, more sophisticated planning systems and more effective decision support are needed. Clearly, successful applications of supply chain management have driven the development of advanced planning systems (APS), which are concerned with s- porting decision-making activities at the strategic, tactical and operational decision level. These software packages basically rely on the application of quantitative methods, which are used to model the underlying complex decision problems c- sidering the limited availability of resources and the need to react on time to customer orders. The core module at the mid-term level of APS comprises op- ational supply chain planning. In many industries, productionstages are assigned to differentplantsand distribution centreshave been established at geographicallyd- persed locations.

Das Buch führt in Grundlagen des Supply Chain Management (SCM) und der Supply Chain Planung ein. Insbesondere beschreibt es, wie moderne Advanced Planning Systeme (APS) aufgebaut sind, welche wesentlichen Funktionalitäten die einzelnen APS-Module umfassen und welche Planungskonzepte zur Implementierung mit APS geeignet sind. Es zeigt sowohl, wie Supply Chains mit Hilfe von APS modelliert werden können, als auch, wie sich APS-Einführungsprojekte in der Industrie erfolgreich umsetzen lassen. Ein Anhang vermittelt anhand numerischer Beispiele einen anschaulichen Eindruck von grundlegenden Optimierungsmethoden, die typischerweise in APS genutzt werden.

Advanced Planning Systems (APS) are a key enabler of the supply chain management. However, APS are highly complex and difficult to comprehend.This book provides students with valuable insights into the capabilities of state-of-the-art APS and bridges the gap between theory (model building and solution algorithms), software implementation, and adaptation to a specific business case. Our business case – named Frutado – provides a unifying framework for illustrating the different planning tasks that arise in a company – from demand planning to the distribution of goods – that are addressed by APS.In addition, the book guides through interactive learning units which have been created and recorded for each module of SAP´s APS. Learning units can be downloaded free of charge ready to be displayed in a web browser.Together, the textbook and the learning units provide the required skills to better understand the concepts, models, and algorithms underlying today´s APS.

Advanced Planning Systems (APS) are a key enabler of the supply chain management. However, APS are highly complex and difficult to comprehend.This book provides students with valuable insights into the capabilities of state-of-the-art APS and bridges the gap between theory (model building and solution algorithms), software implementation, and adaptation to a specific business case. Our business case – named Frutado – provides a unifying framework for illustrating the different planning tasks that arise in a company – from demand planning to the distribution of goods – that are addressed by APS.In addition, the book guides through interactive learning units which have been created and recorded for each module of SAP´s APS. Learning units can be downloaded free of charge ready to be displayed in a web browser.Together, the textbook and the learning units provide the required skills to better understand the concepts, models, and algorithms underlying today´s APS.

Supply Chain Management, Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP), and Advanced Planning Systems (APS) are important concepts in order to organize and optimize the flow of materials, information and financial funds. This book, already in its fifth edition, gives a broad and up-to-date overview of the concepts underlying APS.