Demand Planner
On this page
- What's it like to be a Demand Planner?
- How to become a Demand Planner
- Latest Demand Planner jobs
- Top skills and experience for Demand Planners
What's it like to be a Demand Planner?
Demand Planners work in manufacturing, supply chain and financial industries. They ensure that the manufacturing production is equal to the demand, thus avoiding surplus. Unlike a Demand Manager who oversees the volume and flow of production and transactions as they happen, Demand Planners are involved before the production process begins, predicting how the process will transpire and suggesting strategies for optimisation. Budgeting, research, and data analysis are key skills for the role. Furthermore, Demand Planners require excellent communication skills to build relationships with top customers and gain insights from their feedback.
Tasks and duties
- Forecasting production processes to align with company budgets and goals.
- Researching market trends to determine demand opportunities and risks.
- Identifying and solving problems in supply chain production.
- Optimising production budgets by reducing costs from various departments.
- Monitoring supply operations in warehouses and industrial plants.
- Ensuring that the amount of inventory and demand are aligned.
- Planning budgets with forecasting techniques.
How to become a Demand Planner
A bachelor degree and years of experience in supply chain production are required for the role. It may be advantageous to take mathematics and science subjects at SPM before completing a pre-university programme such as Foundation in Science. Examples of technical skills needed for the job are forecasting, System Applications and Products in Data Processing (SAP), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Google Suite.
Graduate with a bachelor degree in supply chain, business administration, finance or another related field.
Complete an internship in supply chain or procurement.
Get an entry-level job in the industry, such as Buyer or Customer Service Associate.
Consider postgraduate education in supply chain management.
Get promoted to higher positions such as Senior Demand Planner or Supply Chain Manager.
