Infor & Kinaxis partner to optimise supply chain planning

Infor has announced a strategic partnership with Kinaxis aimed at enhancing supply chain planning capabilities for midmarket discrete manufacturers.

The collaboration seeks to integrate Kinaxis's Planning One with Infor's CloudSuite solutions. This unification is expected to optimise operational, tactical, and strategic planning processes for businesses in automotive, aerospace, high-tech, and other industrial sectors.

The partnership will introduce Kinaxis Planning One for Infor CloudSuite Industrial Enterprise, CloudSuite Automotive, and CloudSuite Aerospace and Defence. This product amalgamates demand, inventory, and supply planning into a single view, facilitating complex scenario management. It allows businesses to evaluate various demand and supply scenarios and choose plans based on key business drivers such as revenue, cost, time, or sustainability.

Conrad Mandala, Executive Vice President of Go To Market and Strategic Operations at Kinaxis, commented on the partnership's potential to positively impact manufacturers. "Our shared commitment to innovation and driving the best outcomes for our customers will have a significant impact on the manufacturers we'll support together," he said.

Mandala highlighted the challenges faced by midmarket manufacturers compared to larger enterprises, stating, "Manufacturers in the midmarket don't have the same ability to cushion complexities, like large tariffs, in the same way as bigger companies do. We're thrilled to partner with Infor to help manufacturers be more agile and resilient in the long term."

Andrew Kinder, Senior Vice President, Industry and Solution Strategy at Infor, added that the collaboration is driven by the necessity to address the current industry landscape. He said, "As discrete manufacturers face increased pressure to satisfy customer demands faster, and with more agility and efficiency, building and maintaining resilient supply chains can only be achieved with industry-specific, cloud-based technologies."

He further explained the strategic intention behind the partnership: "Our collaboration with Kinaxis is grounded in our shared commitment to equipping customers with the best tools to achieve supply chain excellence against the challenges of a complex and unpredictable landscape."

This alliance will see Infor establishing a midmarket sales team located in North America and the EMEA region. This team will be responsible for engaging customers and deploying the newly developed cloud-native solution, effectively promoting the integration of Kinaxis's technology with Infor's existing platforms.