Strategic Planning Software
Strategic Planning Tools
MJC²'s optimization software provides strategic planning functionality for logistics, manufacturing, supply chain and workforce planning. Typical applications of our strategic planning tools include:
Logistics optimization: planning and modelling of the network, addressing issues such as depot/warehouse location, fleet size and allocation and supplier contract negotiation.
Production planning: strategic optimization of factories and manufacturing lines, capacity planning, supply chain optimization and inventory balancing.
Workforce planning: long-term planning of staff shift patterns and employee rosters based on forecast demand, staff availability, skills, union agreements and working time directives.
Resilience optimization: modelling and optimization of global supply chains, including resilience to logistics interruptions and delays.
Logistics Optimization
SLIM allows distribution and logistics managers to examine 'What if' scenarios for strategic planning. In 'What if' mode the user can simulate future operations (e.g. seasonal variations) or can derive contingency plans for anticipated peak periods.
Similarly SLIM allows users to answer operational and management questions like:
- What if my fleet size was reduced by 10%?
- What if I used a third party logistics provider?
- What if my employee/workforce costs change?
- What if I move to dynamic planning?
- What if Working Time Directive rules change?
- What if I centralise logistics planning?
Strategic Manufacturing Planning
PIMSS provides operational and "just-in-time" manufacturing scheduling capability, but can also be used for capacity planning and strategic optimization of manufacturing operations.
Within the factory PIMSS can model the impact of new process flows, production lines or shift patterns on throughput and efficiency, or can be used to analyse the impact of changing demands and inventory policies.
In a distributed manufacturing environment PIMSS can model multiple production facilities and complex supply networks to develop long-term strategies and contingency plans for resilience to disruption.
Workforce Planning
ROCS optimizes staffing profiles and shift patterns for single- and multi-site operations, helping HR planners to decide on the right balance between full-time and part-time, or the likely requirement for agency cover at peak periods.
ROCS can also be used for 'what if' analysis such as understanding the impact of new regulations or union agreements on the operation. The simulation environment allows many different scenarios or strategies to be analysed quickly, facilitating negotiation of contracts and optimization of work patterns.
Supply Chain Resilience
The LARG+O toolset developed in the CORE supply chain resilience initiative allows global logistics managers to develop resilience strategies and contingency plans to protect their operation from the impact of major disruptions.
For example, the impact of the closure of a major port can be calculated. Furthermore, AI-based optimization algorithms propose alternative routings for freight, which in turn can also be analysed in terms of their sensitivity to disruption.
In this way the user builds up a library of contingency plans to address critical lanes or nodes in their supply chain, and can more easily anticipate the impact of significant disruptions such as natural disasters, strikes or political problems.