vraagplanning

Vraagplanning is the process in supply chain management to forecast future customer demand for products and services and to translate that forecast into actionable plans for procurement, production, and distribution. The term is most often used in Dutch-speaking companies and is commonly aligned with the broader Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) framework. The goal is to balance supply and demand, minimize costs, and maintain desired service levels.

Key activities include collecting and cleaning data from internal sources (historical sales, inventory levels, promotions) and external sources (market trends, macro data, competitor activity); building and validating statistical forecast models; incorporating managerial judgments and market insights; consolidating forecasts across products and regions into a single demand plan; and communicating this plan to supply planning teams.

Demand can be categorized as independent (finished goods demanded by customers) and dependent (components driven by production). The planning horizon varies but typically ranges from weeks to months, often with a monthly cycle and a rolling 3- to 24-month forecast. The output is a quantified plan that informs replenishment, production scheduling, procurement, and capacity decisions.

Performance in vraagplanning is measured with forecast accuracy and bias (MAPE, MAD, sMAPE), service level, inventory turns, and stockouts. Common challenges include data quality, demand volatility, promotional effects, new product introductions, seasonality, and cross-functional alignment.

Effective vraagplanning relies on collaboration between demand planners, supply planners, sales, marketing, and finance, supported by analytics tools, ERP/APS systems, and scenario planning to cope with uncertainties and to support decision-making.