Modern supply chains today consist of a wide network of production and distribution sites, suppliers, vendors and customers. Moreover, the complexity of such sytems is affected by great dynamics and a multitude of degrees of freedom. The rising number of variants, short delivery periods and the severe competition for instance call for a high degree of flexibility to adapt to the permanently changing market needs. Stability - and with it an increase of productivity and cost reduction - can only be achieved when all activities within the supply chain are based on a holistic and end-to-end planning scenario. In the ideal case it should map each link of the supply chain.
