Home / Case Studies / S&OP for a Healthcare Products Business

S&OP for a healthcare products business

PTL Co created a repeatable monthly S&OP cycle to improve planning visibility, accountability and cross-functional decision-making.

THE CHALLENGE

Replacing fragmented planning with one cycle

Client

Healthcare development and manufacturing

Sector

Nutraceutical and healthcare

Scale

Brand present in 80+ countries

Engagement

S&OP

PTL Co helped a healthcare products business establish a five-step monthly S&OP process after reviewing 9,500 live SKUs and identifying that 13% of SKUs generated 80% of value. The business needed a consistent way to reconcile forecasts, inventory and operational capacity. Planning activity was fragmented, limiting forward visibility and making it harder to identify risks early. Different functions did not always work from the same assumptions, so changes in demand could take too long to translate into supply, stock and management actions. The client required a repeatable monthly cycle that clarified inputs, responsibilities and decision points. It also needed a practical approach that could highlight gaps between the sales outlook and operational capability before they affected availability, working capital or customer service.

9,500

live SKUs

5 step

monthly S&OP cycle

6 month

SKU planning horizon

18 month

product family horizon

WHAT WE DID

Delivery framework

PTL Co consolidated planning inputs, reviewed demand and supply constraints, and structured a five-step monthly S&OP cycle to bring fragmented planning into one repeatable decision process. The work linked SKU-level analysis, forecast ownership, capacity review and inventory implications so that decisions could be made from a common view of demand rather than separate functional assumptions.

1. PREPARE DATA

Consolidate planning inputs, SKU information and value analysis to create a stronger evidence base for the monthly cycle and ensure the process started from a shared view of the product range.

2. REVIEW DEMAND

Agree the forward sales view by bringing commercial assumptions, customer activity and forecast expectations into a more consistent demand review that could be challenged and updated each month.

3. REVIEW SUPPLY

Assess capacity, inventory and supply constraints so the demand plan could be tested against realistic operational capability rather than treated as an isolated sales forecast.

4. RECONCILE PLANS

Resolve gaps and trade-offs by comparing demand, supply, stock and service implications in one process, helping teams agree where action, escalation or revised assumptions were needed.

5. MAKE DECISIONS

Confirm actions through executive review so ownership, priorities and escalations were clear, with decisions captured as part of the recurring monthly planning rhythm.

WHAT WE ACHIEVED

Outcomes that carried into day-to-day operation

The business gained a consistent planning rhythm, clearer accountability and earlier visibility of demand, supply, capacity and inventory risks before they affected customer service or working capital. The process helped teams move from reactive issue management to a more structured monthly cycle, where assumptions could be challenged, gaps could be resolved and decisions could be escalated with greater discipline.

Repeatable monthly cycle.

A consistent five-step S&OP process was established, giving the business a regular rhythm for reviewing demand, supply, capacity and inventory decisions.

Clearer accountability.

Planning ownership was defined across key functions, making it clearer who was responsible for forecast inputs, supply constraints, inventory assumptions and management actions.

Improved demand visibility.

The forward sales view became more consistent, helping teams identify changes in expected demand earlier and test them against operational capability.

Earlier risk identification.

Supply, capacity and inventory pressures could be reconciled through the monthly process before they became short-term service, availability or working-capital issues.

PTL CO EXPERTISE

Explore related services

Discover the services behind succesful project delivery.

Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)

Effective Sales & Operations Planning aligns demand, supply, inventory and operational capacity to support informed decision-making. A structured S&OP process helps businesses balance customer service, cost and working capital objectives.

PTL Co supports organisations in developing practical S&OP frameworks, improving cross-functional collaboration, enhancing forecasting accuracy and creating a single, agreed plan to drive business performance and resilience.