ABSTRACT
So a second initiative was undertaken. It consisted of searching for data at some source (POS, retailer) and transmitting it directly to the company without any intermediate stages. This has been made a lot easier by the development of web-oriented technologies (Fig. 4.19). The forecasting models are then applied to this data (cf. Action 1) and the results are expressed as probabilities, i.e., displaying the probable forecast area which showed the uncertain part of demand. These results are submitted to the partners in the distribution chain, in particular the distributors and wholesalers, who give their views on the possible scenarios taking into account the probability of certain events taking place (e.g. promotions by the company or its competitors, market trends, etc.). It is a participative exercise in collaborative forecasting.
