Automotive Supplier Planning
Tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers build to OEM schedules that change every week, on lines shared across several programs. DemandLabs plans those lines against the releases and prices each weekend shift and premium freight run before it is booked.
What Shapes Tier 1 and Tier 2 Suppliers Planning
A supplier's plan starts from customer releases it does not control and runs on lines it shares across customers.
OEM Schedules Change Each Week
Customer schedules arrive by EDI and are revised each week or more often. The nearest weeks are firm, and the weeks beyond them carry an estimate that moves when the OEM changes its build plan.
One Press Serves Several Programs
A press line or molding cell often runs parts for several vehicle programs and customers. Each die or mold change takes time off the machine, so the run sequence decides how much capacity is left.
Volume Drifts From the Quote
A part is priced on the program volume expected at sourcing. Actual volume follows the vehicle's sales, and the OEM still orders service parts long after series production ends.
Solutions for Tier 1 and Tier 2 Suppliers
The DemandLabs applications that fit tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers, and how each one handles the planning.
Presses, molding cells and crews solve with die changes and minimum run sizes across every plant that ships to the OEMs. A weekend shift or premium freight run arrives priced against the release line it protects.
Explore supply planningCustomer releases arrive through EDI and AS2 connectors and feed forecasts at item and customer level. Planners edit one consensus number past the firm weeks, and each override is scored against the model baseline.
Explore demand planningA move in steel, resin, freight or tariffs reaches the landed cost of each part and a recommended price for each OEM account before the next price review.
Explore revenue growth managementFinished part and raw material buffers are re-solved each week from measured release and lead-time variability. Service parts after the end of series production carry service targets of their own.
Explore inventory optimizationHow Tier 1 and Tier 2 Suppliers Planning Connects
Each OEM release links to the lines that build the part, the material behind it and the margin on the program.
OEM Releases
- EDI schedules
- Firm weeks
- Forecast weeks
Press and Cell Plan
- Press capacity
- Die and mold changes
- Crew rosters
Coil and Resin
- Mill lead times
- Minimum buys
- Sub-tier sources
Part Buffers
- Finished parts
- Service parts
- Safety stock
Program Margin
- Price recovery
- Premium freight
- Margin by program
Built for Tier 1 and Tier 2 Suppliers
Supplier planning absorbs OEM schedule changes on capacity that several customers share.
Release Changes With Owners
Planners adjust one forecast on top of the OEM releases, and each change carries the name of the person who made it.
Premium Freight Has a Price
The cost of each premium freight run sits next to the OEM release it saves, so the plant decides before the truck is booked.
Die Changes in the Solve
Die and mold changes, minimum run sizes and crew rosters constrain one plan across plants that serve several OEMs.
Cost Recovery by Account
A steel or resin price move shows up as a recommended price for each OEM account before recovery talks start.
Planning Notes for Tier 1 and Tier 2 Suppliers
See all notes
Key account planning when one customer is a third of the volume
The account plan and the item forecast cross rather than nest, so nothing forces them to agree. The grain that does, and what one thirty percent customer adds to the buffer.
20 August 202610 min read
The orders arrived and the forecast never moved
Forecast consumption decides how orders net against the demand plan inside the execution window. How the consumption windows misfire, where double counting hides, and what to reconcile weekly.
24 August 202610 min read
Deciding what to absorb when landed cost moves again
Tariff cost pass-through pricing decided per item and channel, what has to be true of landed cost first, and why the supply consequence belongs in it.
22 August 202610 min readTier 1 and Tier 2 Suppliers Planning FAQs
Can DemandLabs read OEM schedules sent by EDI?
EDI and AS2 connectors bring each customer release into the forecast at item and customer level, next to the orders already on the books.
Can one plan cover plants that serve different OEMs?
Plants, lines and contract manufacturers share one finite-capacity solve. When capacity runs short, allocation follows each customer's contract commitments and shows the fill rate each OEM will get.
How are service parts planned after end of production?
After end of production, service parts move to a segment of their own with separate service targets. Parts that ship a few times a year are forecast with Croston, SBA or TSB.
How long does implementation take?
Eight weeks to the first live cycle for one planning area, with a value review with your CFO in week 10.
See Your OEM Releases Planned Against Capacity
A 45-minute walkthrough on your own data.