Forecasting In A Time of Uncertainty

A large fire consumes a woodpile in a groundwood paper plant. A major west-coast port shuts down, and other ports refuse to handle the diverted cargo. Scorching heat starts to break down the roads and rail networks you rely on to move finished books and raw materials. Staff for your preferred carrier may soon be on strike.

These are just a few of the many variables publishers face in making decisions about where, when, and how much to print. Last winter, Gary Jones (River Rock Consulting) led a three-session conversation about how modeling can help publishers make more informed decisions about printing and  inventorying books. Taken together, Gary’s presentations described integrated business planning: the ability to forecast effectively in a time of uncertainty.

On August 1, Gary will present the summary that he shared with 200 supply-chain professionals at BISG’s annual meeting in April. He’ll be joined by Cathy Felgar (Princeton University Press), whose team has been working to apply the principles of integrated business planning. They’ll describe the principles and how they have made it possible to plan in an uncertain environment.

As with all BISG brown-bag lunches, there will be lots of time for sharing questions, comments, and examples. Because this session will contain so much mission-critical information, we’re making an exception to our brown-bag rule: it will be recorded. Register now to attend the meeting, and you’ll receive a link to a recording after the session.

Please come ready to engage in a discussion. After an introductory presentation, there will be an open forum. To allow participants to speak -- and not just type questions -- these sessions are conducted in a Zoom meeting (rather than webinar) format. Please ensure that your microphone is muted unless you'd like to contribute.