Industrial planning: levers of transformation for a higher-performing supply chain

The Chaire Supply Chain du Futur at École des Ponts publishes a white paper on industrial planning. It stems from the "Production Planning" seminar held in January 2025. Argon & Co, Michelin, Renault Group, Louis Vuitton and Decathlon share their diagnosis and concrete levers for transformation.

A silent pillar of performance
Between 2021 and 2023, manufacturers lost sales because of failures in their industrial supply chain, a first in some sectors. These crises exposed long-underestimated weaknesses. Yet production planning remains little studied, by practitioners and researchers alike.

A model running out of steam
Designed more than sixty years ago, MRP is still the backbone of industrial planning. In an uncertain environment, it shows three limits: it works on an all-or-nothing basis, it passes information on sequentially, and it carries a single signal.

Four families of levers are identified

• Modernize planning logic: DDMRP, two-signal approaches.
• Strengthen practices: planning architecture, procurement, supplier integration.
• Improve tooling: APS, data quality, first uses of AI.
• Rethink the organization: governance, appeal of the planner role, skills.

A collective work within the Chair
Nine experts, consultants and industry practitioners, wrote this white paper:

• Argon & Co: Fabrice Bonneau, François Durieux, Christophe Alagapin, Jonathan Barcat, Gaëtan Poirrotte
• Michelin : Céline Mortz
• Renault Group : Pascal Dequick
• Louis Vuitton : Hervé Merle
• Decathlon : Arif Qurishi

The white paper is available in French only.

Click here to download the white paper (in French)