Beyond Short-Term Demand: How Driver-Based Forecasting Supports Better Long-Term Planning
Written by: Roger Baldridge For CPG companies, forecasting has traditionally focused heavily on historical demand. Looking at past sales provides an important foundation, but it does not always answer the questions businesses need to make longer-term decisions. What will demand look like in the future? What decisions could impact our business strategy? What happens if market conditions shift? These questions are […]
As Your CPG Business Grows, Is Your Planning Keeping Up?
Written by: Rob Haddock Growth is a sign of success, but it also introduces new challenges. As consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies add customers, expand into new retail channels, launch new products, and increase promotional activity, supply chain planning becomes significantly more complex. The planning processes that worked when your business was smaller often struggle to keep […]
Instinct Pet Food Expands Partnership with Demand Chain AI to Transform Forecasting and Demand Planning with Puls8™
CHICAGO, IL, July 29, 2026 Demand Chain AI, creator of the Puls8™ Intelligent Planning Solutions platform, today announced that Instinct Pet Food has selected Puls8™ DBF (Driver-Based Forecasting) and Puls8™ DP (Demand Planning) as the next phase of its supply chain transformation. The expanded engagement builds on Instinct’s successful implementation of Puls8™ Replan (Production Planning & Scheduling Optimization) and Puls8™ 360 ADS (Advanced Demand Sensing). Together, […]
From Firefighting to Flow: How CPG Manufacturers Can Regain Control of Their Plants
In this thought leadership article, Demand Chain AI advisor Rob Haddock explores why so many CPG manufacturers find themselves stuck in constant firefighting instead of running stable, predictable operations. Drawing on decades of experience in manufacturing and supply chain planning, he explains how poor planning discipline, inconsistent execution, and ineffective inventory strategies create unnecessary disruption […]
AI Implementations: Balancing Progress vs Perfection
Written by: Nolen Akerman & Fraser Lockhart Earlier this year, friends were conducting research on weather stations for their backyard garden. Evaluating the set of features for all the models was a tiresome process, so they sought assistance from a friendly online AI chatbot. The response was impressively formatted with tables and links, highlighting the best features of each model. The only problem: several of […]
The Slow Leak: How CPG Brands Are Losing on Trade Promotion and What Puls8™ RGOˣ Does Differently
The way most CPG teams approach trade promotions hasn’t kept up with the pace of the market. For too long, planning has been built on static assumptions, historical averages, and reactive post-analysis. Teams invest significant budget into promotions, only to find out weeks later what actually worked and what quietly eroded margin. By then, the […]
How Smarter Data AND Smarter AI are Powering CPG Revenue Growth
By Chad Schumacher The past few years have tested every Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) company’s growth strategy. Prices fluctuate. Shopper loyalty shifts. Retailers are tougher negotiators than ever. At the center of it all? Promotions. Promos drive volume and visibility but they’re notoriously expensive to run and hard to measure. Too often, CPG teams chase […]