One-off events, such as pandemic spikes, can distort models. Close governance and connectivity to upstream partners help CDW interpret these events consistently and tune forecasts quickly. “We’ve steadily improved forecast accuracy, which reduces excessive ordering, stockouts, and obsolescence, while improving working capital efficiency and metrics,” Nair adds.
software, CDW partnered with consultants for several years as it built its internal capabilities. The company achieved full self-sufficiency in 2025, Nair says. Suppliers’ use of different planning
help CDW track availability, estimated times of arrival, and lifecycle changes, Nair says. CDW brings inventory into the company’s distribution centers as needed. Products are configured and any value-added services, such as kitting or asset-tagging, are applied. Moving from spreadsheets to Blue Yonder required an investment of time and energy. To help employees master the
systems and data standards can complicate integrations. CDW
addresses this by using APIs and EDI, maintaining strong data hygiene efforts, and collaborating regularly with OEMs and distributors.
GE APPLIANCES: ZERO DISTANCE AND A DIGITAL THREAD
Artificial intelligence has also helped boost the accuracy of forecasts, particularly in the single-family market, where ordering patterns fluctuate more. “With agentic AI, we can analyze patterns to better predict what and when our customers will order in the future and adapt our operations accordingly,” Head says. Previously, operations were less integrated, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly where the company needed to strengthen its supply chain. By the time management gained visibility into the cause of an operational issue, it often was too late to react effectively to prevent disruptions. “The digital thread and AI-driven visibility have transformed supply chain operations from reactive to proactive,” Head says. The integrated system and improved planning processes have led to multiple benefits, such as reducing inventory levels by between 20% and 25%, even as revenue has increased. Customer satisfaction, particularly in the multifamily segment, has noticeably increased due to better project management, execution, and product availability, Head says.
By deploying AI, GE Appliances can correct issues in real time and even
One key to GE Appliance’s business strategy is “zero distance,” says David Head, executive director of planning and fulfillment. That is, manufacturing takes place close to customers. For the U.S. market, GE makes most products domestically at one of nine manufacturing plants or two micro- factories, which are used for smaller batch production. As GE Appliances continues to expand its manufacturing footprint, it’s also growing its domestic supply chain, which currently includes about 6,500 U.S.-based vendors, making it stronger and more resilient, Head says. Working with suppliers that are close to GE’s facilities allows for nimbleness when demand fluctuates or external events affect the global supply chain. The company’s “digital thread strategy” connects its supply chain partners and systems within a seamless, closed-loop system that allows for coordination and real-time sharing of data. Each day, Head and his team check that all members of the network are connected and have updated information regarding demand planning, forecasting, and production metrics.
prevent some from occurring. For example, GE’s enterprise
resource planning system is integrated with AI-integrated tools from Oracle, Salesforce, and Prophecy, the company’s internal system, providing visibility into day-to-day operations. Among other benefits, this helps optimize productivity by determining exactly what needs to be produced and where it should be distributed. The system also ensures that updates flow to the appropriate stakeholders and that the production schedule is adjusted as needed.
GE Appliances uses agentic AI to analyze patterns and better predict what and when customers will order in the future, adapting its operations accordingly.
SOPHISTICATION MATTERS LESS THAN PRACTICALITY How tools for supply and demand planning are used matter more than how sophisticated they are, says Matt Wilson, a principal in the supply chain and industrials practice of SSA & Co. The goal is to leverage the insight generated to inform and even redesign planning processes, such as production schedules, replenishment quantities, and inventory deployment. To that end, the analytics solution should answer practical questions about what to build and buy, and where action is needed. “A model that lives in a dashboard gets discussed,” he says. “A model that feeds production, replenishment, or deployment decisions gets used.”
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