How automation fabrics protect SAP forecasting and replenishment from failure
Every great play looks effortless to the audience. They see the actors hit their lines, the music swells at just the right moment and the lights fade exactly when they should. What they don’t see is the stage manager, the tech booth and the writers that made it all possible.
Forecasting and replenishment (F&R) works the same way. To the customer, it’s simple: the product they want is available where and when they want it. But what got it there was a full production involving forecasting systems, ERP, POS, purchase orders, distribution centers — each with their own scripts.
Take the case of Target Canada. They had ambitious plans, shiny stores and plenty of product in stock. But backstage, systems weren’t talking to each other. Some shelves stayed empty while others were overstocked, and many customers walked out or didn’t show up at all. The two-year production bombed big-time, resulting in a multi-billion-dollar loss. “Ticket sales” didn’t even cover the cost of performances in this scenario.
Opening night: The performance customers see
F&R is the entire performance from the moment you draw the curtain back. It’s what the audience (your customers) experiences when they shop. Your forecasting engine is the lead actor, but it can’t carry the whole show alone. It depends on a cast:
- ERP systems handling orders and procurement
- POS systems sending daily sales signals
- Warehousing and logistics making sure the right props (products) land on stage
- Replenishment planning and allocation tools managing cues
If these players don’t work together well, the audience will see the mistakes: empty shelves, markdown bins and lost orders, to name a few.
Missed cues: Why supply chains go off script
Even seasoned companies misstep when the backstage crew isn’t in sync. In supply chain terms, that means F&R falls apart when the systems behind them aren’t connected or coordinated.
Take siloed systems, for example. ERP, POS and warehouse management each follow their own script, and none of them talk to each other. That disconnect means planners may not see when a promotion is running, when seasonality is driving spikes in demand or when external events disrupt supply. Without those inputs flowing cleanly into the forecast, replenishment planning quickly goes off track. It’s like three actors reciting different versions of the same play — it’s confusing, messy and painful to watch.
Manual workarounds are another sign of a shaky production. When planners resort to spreadsheets to patch gaps or re-sequence orders, it’s like stagehands rushing onto the set with duct tape mid-performance. The show goes on, but the cracks are obvious.
Rigid, batch-driven processes add another layer of risk. Imagine trying to run a live play using only rehearsed recordings. The story would fall flat the moment something unexpected happened. And the same goes for replenishment runs that can’t adapt when demand shifts suddenly, such as when there’s an unforeseen weather event.
Then there’s the lack of visibility. Without clear lines of sight into whether a job has started, finished or failed, supply chain leaders are left waiting to see if the actor will make their entrance. By the time they realize the cue was missed, the audience already knows.
The outcome of all these broken scenes? Outdated forecasts, replenishment delays, high carrying costs and frustrated customers who don’t come back after intermission.
The director’s chair: Keeping every scene in sync
An orchestration solution like RunMyJobs by Redwood acts as the director behind the curtain, ensuring every system, transaction and dependency plays its part. Think about the challenge of planning a holiday promotion: Forecasting modules may generate a strong demand forecast, but if order proposals don’t trigger on time or distribution centers can’t see accurate inventory levels, the campaign won’t be successful.
With RunMyJobs, order forecasts, replenishment planning, purchase orders and automatic replenishment proposals are kept in sync with demand planning and forecasting algorithms. That means safety stock calculations adjust automatically when seasonality spikes, promotions launch or future demand signals arrive from POS sales data. It also means master data issues are flagged and corrected before they cascade downstream.
This is true whether you’re running SAP F&R, IBP, Retail and Distribution Industry Solutions, MM, APO or connecting to non-SAP systems — RunMyJobs keeps the performance on track no matter the complexity of your tech stack. You’ll be able to respond faster to factors influencing demand, like promotions, pricing changes or unexpected stockouts, while reducing manual interventions.
Orchestration transforms F&R from a fragile balancing act into a resilient, repeatable process that adapts to real-world conditions.
Standing ovation: Course-correcting with orchestration
The value of orchestration in F&R shows up in the KPIs that matter most: gross margins, order fill rates and customer satisfaction.
| Without an automation fabric | KPI impact | With an automation fabric | KPI improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delayed, incomplete data processing | – Forecast accuracy ↓ – Stockout rate ↓ – On-shelf availability ↓ | Automated sequenced data processing | – Forecast accuracy ↑ – Stockout rate ↓ – On-shelf availability ↑ |
| Manual intervention for and high error risk | – Order fill rate ↓ – Replenishment cycle time ↑ – Customer satisfaction ↓ | Autonomous execution and error handling | – Order fill rate ↑ – Replenishment cycle time ↑ – Customer satisfaction ↑ |
| Siloed and limited visibility across systems | – Inventory turnover ↓ – Lost sales ↑ – Gross margin ROI ↓ | Unified view and monitoring of all workflows | – Inventory turnover ↑ – Lost sales ↓ – Gross margin ROI ↑ |
| Rigid scheduling, no real-time triggers | – Lost sales ↑ – Stockout rate ↑ – Carrying costs ↑ – Markdown % ↑ – Days of inventory ↑ | Event-driven scheduling triggers | – Lost sales ↓ – Stockout rate ↓ – Carrying costs ↓ – Markdown % ↓ – Days of inventory ↓ |
Treat F&R like the production it is
In retail and distribution, forecasting and replenishment is mission-critical. It’s not a solo performance but an ensemble production that needs perfect timing, cues and orchestration.
RunMyJobs provides the automation fabric that keeps your show running. Global retailers and distributors trust it to bring order to complexity and deliver consistent, applause-worthy results.
Book a demo to see how RunMyJobs can optimize your F&R process end to end.
About The Author
Neil Krefsky
With over 30 years of experience in product marketing, pre-sales, and business consulting, Neil is a seasoned leader in the tech industry, with a unique combination of subject matter expertise in enterprise automation, financial applications, cybersecurity applications, GenAI, SaaS, ERP systems, contact center solutions, customer experience enhancement, analytics, machine learning, and sustainability.
