The Spark Initiative
OMP, a leading supply chain planning solutions provider, is launching the Spark Initiative to explore an outside-in approach to supply chain planning.

ATLANTA, January 26, 2023 (Newswire.com) - OMP, a leading supply chain planning solutions provider, is launching the Spark Initiative to explore an outside-in approach to supply chain planning.

With the Spark Initiative, OMP wants to improve decision-making for their customers by introducing a new way of thinking about supply chain planning. The initiative's goal is to provide a platform for the OMP Community to test, learn, and share outside-in capabilities using massive amounts of external data and state-of-the-art technology.

Unlocking a wealth of external data

The new planning approach empowers supply chain leaders to leverage the wealth of external market, channel, and supplier data that is available to businesses but is often untapped. This data includes climate and weather patterns, consumption trends, variable holidays, economic and political factors, and data from smart devices. Companies that adopt the approach and set up bi-directional data flows will be able to create optimal planning scenarios and make better decisions.

Piloting outside-in planning processes

Joining forces with the research firm Supply Chain Insights, OMP is inviting customers to submit their real-world business cases to build, test, and validate the potential of an outside-in planning approach. A handful of companies will be selected to participate in the research. Once the pilot tests are completed, the findings will be publicly shared with the industry.

Support from industry leaders

The Spark Initiative think tank is supported by a board of business leaders, industry professionals, academics, and OMP experts. Led by Lora Cecere, CEO of Supply Chain Insights, this advisory board will drive the agenda, advise on the conceptual framework, and monitor the pilot tests.

"I'm excited to participate in the Spark Initiative because it's the next frontier in supply chain planning," says Dave Winstone, Spark board member and Global ISC Director at Dow. "How do we harness all these signals out there? How do we identify which ones matter most to our business? What do they mean to us and to our ecosystem partners? In the end, it's not companies that compete, but the ecosystems around us. We have to make the ecosystems more effective to be able to stay competitive. And I believe this initiative will bring us one step closer to that goal."

"Now is the time for supply chain leaders to redefine their planning processes," adds Philip Vervloesem, SVP OMP USA. "The active participation of Fortune 500 companies like Dow, General Mills, Nestlé, and Land O'Lakes confirms the need to explore groundbreaking ways of planning. I look forward to deep-diving into this fresh pool of possibilities together with our valued customers."

Launched in November 2022, the initiative is shifting into higher gear in 2023.

Learn more about the Spark Initiative.