Introduction

In today's dynamic business environment, organizations must achieve excellence in inventory management, material requirements planning (MRP), supply chain operations, forecasting, distribution, and multi-site warehouse management to maintain operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. This comprehensive training program has been designed by Global Horizon Training Center to provide participants with advanced knowledge and practical skills in supply chain planning, inventory optimization, ERP integration, demand forecasting, scheduling, quality management, and operational leadership.

The program combines strategic concepts with extensive hands-on exercises, enabling participants to perform forecasting calculations, MRP planning, inventory parameter setting, scheduling decisions, accuracy analysis, and performance improvement initiatives under trainer guidance. Participants will work through realistic business scenarios and case studies to strengthen their ability to make informed operational decisions and improve supply chain performance across complex environments.

Training Objectives

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Align supply chain strategy with organizational objectives and operational requirements.

• Apply Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) principles to balance demand, supply, and financial plans.

• Develop accurate forecasts using quantitative forecasting techniques.

• Calculate and manage safety stock, reorder points, and inventory parameters.

• Execute MRP calculations and develop effective material plans.

• Understand ERP master data structures and improve inventory accuracy.

• Conduct cycle counting, reconciliation, audits, and root-cause investigations.

• Develop production and distribution schedules using various scheduling methodologies.

• Manage multi-site inventory and warehouse operations effectively.

• Apply Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.

• Establish inventory and supply chain performance measurement systems.

• Lead operational teams and manage inventory-related budgets and stakeholder relationships.

Course Methodology

This highly interactive program includes:

• Instructor-led presentations

• Practical workshops and calculation exercises

• Hands-on MRP and forecasting simulations

• Inventory management case studies

• Group discussions and problem-solving activities

• ERP and master-data governance exercises

• Scheduling and distribution planning workshops

• Root-cause analysis and audit simulations

• Team-based supply chain improvement projects

Organizational Impact

Organizations will benefit through:

• Improved inventory visibility and control.

• Enhanced forecasting and planning accuracy.

• Reduced stockouts and excess inventory.

• Better alignment between demand, supply, and financial planning.

• Increased ERP data integrity and inventory accuracy.

• Improved warehouse and distribution efficiency.

• Stronger compliance and audit readiness.

• Reduced operational costs and working capital requirements.

• Enhanced supply chain resilience and continuity.

• Better leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

Target Audience

This program is suitable for:

• Inventory Managers

• Supply Chain Managers

• Warehouse Managers

• Logistics Managers

• Materials Managers

• Demand Planners

• Procurement Professionals

• Operations Managers

• ERP and Master Data Specialists

• Production Planning Personnel

• Supply Chain Analysts

• Team Leaders and Supervisors involved in inventory and supply chain operations

Training Program Outlines

Day 1: Supply Chain Strategy, S&OP and Demand Planning

Supply Chain Fundamentals and Strategic Alignment

• Supply chain structure, value chain, and material/information flows

• Upstream and downstream supply chain networks

• Aligning supply chain strategy with corporate objectives

• Order qualifiers versus order winners

• Lean, Agile, Responsive, and Efficient supply chain models

• SCOR framework overview

Supply Chain Risk and Resilience

• Supply chain risk identification

• Business continuity principles

• Supply chain resilience strategies

• Risk mitigation planning

Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)

• S&OP process and governance

• Demand review and supply review processes

• Executive S&OP decision-making

• Aggregate planning techniques

• Rough-cut capacity planning

Practical Workshop

• Developing an S&OP process map

• Balancing demand and supply scenarios

• S&OP KPI development exercise

Day 2: Demand Forecasting, Inventory Optimization and MRP

Advanced Demand Forecasting

• Independent versus dependent demand

• Demand pattern analysis

• Moving Average forecasting

• Weighted Moving Average forecasting

• Exponential Smoothing

• Regression forecasting techniques

• Forecast selection criteria

Forecast Accuracy Measurement

• MAD calculation

• MSE calculation

• MAPE calculation

• Bias and Tracking Signal analysis

• Forecast performance evaluation

Inventory Planning Parameters

• Safety stock determination

• Lead time management

• Reorder point calculations

• Service level considerations

• Inventory optimization principles

Material Requirements Planning (MRP)

• Bill of Materials (BOM) explosion

• Gross-to-net calculations

• Lead-time offsetting

• Planned order releases

• Lot-sizing techniques

• MPS and ATP concepts

Hands-On Workshops

• Forecast calculation exercises

• Forecast accuracy calculations

• Safety stock and reorder point calculations

• Complete MRP table preparation and analysis

Day 3: ERP, Master Data Governance and Inventory Accuracy

External Supply and Supplier Integration

• Make-versus-buy analysis

• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

• Purchase-to-Pay process

• Supplier performance measurement

• OTIF metrics

• Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI)

• Consignment inventory

ERP and Master Data Management

• ERP fundamentals and architecture

• Item master structure

• Inventory transaction controls

• Master data governance

• Change management controls

• Inventory visibility across multiple locations

Inventory Accuracy Management

• Inventory record accuracy

• Cycle counting programs

• ABC-based counting frequencies

• Physical inventory management

• Reconciliation procedures

Audits and Root Cause Analysis

• Inventory audit methodologies

• Audit readiness requirements

• Variance investigation techniques

• 5 Whys methodology

• Fishbone analysis

• Pareto analysis

• CAPA implementation

Hands-On Workshops

• Master-data quality assessment

• Inventory accuracy dashboard creation

• Variance investigation exercise

• Root-cause analysis case study

Day 4: Scheduling, Distribution and Multi-Site Operations

Production and Supply Scheduling

• Planning hierarchy and execution management

• Planned versus released orders

• Forward and backward scheduling

• Finite and infinite loading

• Bottleneck management

• Theory of Constraints concepts

Scheduling Rules and Prioritization

• FCFS scheduling

• Earliest Due Date (EDD)

• Shortest Processing Time (SPT)

• Critical Ratio methodology

• Schedule optimization techniques

Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP)

• DRP fundamentals

• Push versus pull distribution systems

• Multi-echelon inventory management

• Transportation planning

• Reverse logistics

Multi-Site Inventory Operations

• Centralized versus decentralized inventory models

• Material flow mapping

• Inter-site transfer management

• Inventory visibility and control

• Consolidated KPI management

Hands-On Workshops

• Scheduling calculations using EDD, SPT and Critical Ratio

• Distribution planning simulation

• Multi-site inventory balancing exercise

Day 5: Quality, Continuous Improvement, Compliance and Leadership

Quality Management in Supply Chains

• Total Quality Management (TQM)

• Cost of Quality

• ISO 9000 overview

• Performance measurement frameworks

• Balanced Scorecard applications

Continuous Improvement Tools

• Lean principles and the 8 wastes

• 5S workplace organization

• Value Stream Mapping

• Kaizen methodology

• Six Sigma DMAIC framework

SOP Development and Compliance

• SOP design and documentation

• Standard work principles

• Compliance management

• Audit readiness

• Regulated materials management

• Chemical and hazardous materials storage controls

Leadership and Cost Management

• Team leadership and coaching

• Workforce planning

• Succession planning

• Budget development and control

• Inventory carrying costs

• Obsolescence management

• Stakeholder communication strategies

Capstone Workshop

• Integrated Supply Chain Improvement Project

• Forecasting, MRP and inventory optimization case

• Scheduling and distribution planning exercise

• KPI dashboard development

• Action planning and trainer feedback