Demand planning software that plans the purchase, not just the forecast
A forecast is a number. A plan is what you buy, make and move because of it. Likwid forecasts every SKU, adds what you know that history can't, nets it against stock and open orders, and drafts the purchase for you to approve.
Works with SAP, Odoo & Tally · no rip-and-replace
- 01Forecast
- 02Add what you know
- 03Net against supply
- 04Buy
Just need the forecast? See demand forecasting software. Planning the whole chain? See supply chain planning software.
See your demand plan built from your own history
Thirty minutes on your own data, no slide deck. We reply within a day.
What is demand planning software?
Demand planning software turns a forecast into a plan: how much of each item you need, where, and by when.
It starts from a forecast for every SKU, adds the events history can't see, then works out what is left to buy or make once stock and open orders are counted. It is not the same as forecasting, which produces the number, or S&OP, which is the meeting that signs the plan off. The table below keeps the three apart.
The forecast is ready. The purchase order still isn't.
Most plans don't fail on the forecast. They fail in the gap between the number and the order. It is usually the point where a spreadsheet stops being enough.
The forecast is in one file and the plan is in another
Demand sits in a planner's spreadsheet. Stock and open orders sit in the ERP. Someone copies one into the other every cycle, so the plan is only as fresh as the last paste.
Nobody records what you already know
The scheme running in March, the tender you just won, the launch next quarter: all known, none of it in the history. A model that only reads history plans last year again.
The plan stops at a number
A good forecast still has to become a net requirement, then a purchase order, then a call to a vendor. That is where the weeks go, and where the money leaks.
Thousands of SKUs, one planner
So the top hundred items get attention and the long tail gets last month's number. The slow and lumpy items are most of the catalog, and they are where the dead stock builds.
From forecast to purchase order, in four steps
Each step hands its result to the next, and the last one lands in your ERP. Nothing is re-keyed between them.
Each SKU is forecast from its own consumption, using the method that measurably wins a backtest on your history, with an honest confidence band. Slow and lumpy items are in the plan, not left out of it.
How the forecast is builtIllustration of the steps, not live data.
The same three screens every cycle
What demand looks like per SKU, what it nets to once stock and open orders are counted, and the purchase that goes out for your approval.
| Item | Forecast | Conf | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centrifugal Pump CP-40PMP-CP-040 | 1,480 No | 87% | Steady |
| Gearbox GB-12GBX-012 | 640 No | 82% | Seasonal |
| Mechanical Seal KitSPR-SEAL-K | 3,900 No | 84% | Steady |
| Impeller · 160mmCMP-IMP-160 | 910 No | 66% | Lumpy |
| Control Panel · 3-phaseELC-CP-3P | 120 No | 52% | Intermittent |
Shown with sample data. A figure that hasn't been calculated shows as a dash, never an invented number.
Demand planning, demand forecasting and S&OP: what's the difference?
The three are often sold as one thing. They are three jobs, done by different people, with different outputs.
| Demand forecasting | Demand planning | S&OP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A statistical estimate of demand for each SKU and location | The plan built from the forecast plus what you know that history can't | The recurring process that reconciles demand, supply and finance into one plan |
| What comes out | A number, with a confidence band | A net requirement and a purchase, for approval | One agreed company plan |
| Who owns it | Planning analyst | Demand planner and buyer | Leadership across sales, supply and finance |
| Where to read more | Demand forecasting software | This page | Supply chain planning software |
Built for catalogs where the history lies
A generic forecast treats every plant the same. These are the three places it goes wrong first, and how the plan is set up for each.
Also planning for plastics and packaging, auto components, food and beverage or nutraceuticals?
It plans on top of the ERP you already run
Likwid connects to SAP, Odoo, Tally and others, reads the sales and stock history it needs, and writes back plans and orders you approve. Your system of record stays where it is, and there is no core migration to plan around.
Still on spreadsheets and no ERP yet? Start with the path from spreadsheet to ERP, or see how Likwid compares in our guide to ERP for Indian manufacturers.
Which kind of demand planning tool fits you?
There is no single best demand planning software. The right one depends on your size, your ERP, and how much of the plan you want carried through to a purchase.
| Kind of tool | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise planning suites | Global multi-plant networks with trained planners and the budget for a multi-month programme | Cost, rollout length, and the planning team they assume you have |
| Mid-market planning tools | Teams that want forecasting and inventory optimisation without an enterprise rollout | Check production and BOM coverage, and your ERP connector, in a demo |
| Your ERP's planning module | Companies whose ERP already holds the data and who need basic material planning | Forecasting is usually basic, and someone still has to act on the plan |
| Spreadsheets | A few hundred SKUs, one plant, and a planner who knows the business | Breaks as SKUs, locations and vendors multiply |
| Likwid | Manufacturers and distributors with thousands of SKUs who want the plan to end in a purchase | A newer vendor, with less enterprise-scale scenario modelling than the big suites |
When you don't need it yet
With a few hundred SKUs, one plant and a planner who knows the business, a well-kept spreadsheet can still do the job. Reach for planning software when the plan stops fitting in a sheet, or when the same shortages keep recurring.
Comparing it with an enterprise suite?
Read our honest comparisons: the SAP IBP alternative and the Kinaxis alternative, and our guide to Kinaxis alternatives for mid-size manufacturers.
What it costs, and how long it takes
Prices are published, not quoted: see the pricing page for plans, including a free self-hosted option. Likwid ships as a working platform with connectors, so you connect your data and the agents start forecasting and planning against it: weeks, not quarters.
Ask every vendor the same thing: the total first-year cost in writing, and how long until a plan runs on your own data, not a demo set.
Demand planning software, answered
Explore the rest of the platform
See your demand plan on your own data
Bring your sales history and your stock. We'll show you the plan it produces, and the purchase that follows from it.
Planning a specific vertical? See demand planning for FMCG or pharma.
Want the purchase side on its own? See AI procurement automation.