Sales, Inventory, Operations Planning (SIOP)

What is SIOP?

“SIOP” stands for Sales Inventory Operations Planning. Depending on the industry or organization, you may also hear it referred to as “S&OP” or Sales & Operations Planning. Sometimes, it is even referred to as “IBP” or Integrated Business Planning. Typically, they mean the same thing.

The most important words to emphasize are planning and alignment. In SIOP, the goal is to have Sales, Operation, R&D/ New Products & Finance, all planning together. The mission is to align a sales plan and the associated operations plans, to provide superior customer service and profitability.

Continue reading

How Do You Benefit from SIOP? 

Q&A: Why Implement S&OP?

Are you interested in the answers to any of these questions?

  • Are you concerned about inflationary pressures? 
  • Are you concerned that inventory levels and obsolete inventory reserves are increasing?
  • Do you have customer profitability analysis and forecasts needed to prioritize customers?
  • Are you struggling to keep up with customer orders?
  • Will your sales and operations plan support your growth and profitability plans?
  • Are Sales and Operations on the same page?

Read our Q&A on why implement SIOP.

Why Implement SIOP?

LMA CONSULTING GROUP BY THE NUMBERS
Our clients gain significant bottom line results, ranging from enabling sales growth to OTIF levels in the high 90%’s to millions of dollars of inventory savings to margin improvement and cost savings. We have broad experience across multiple industries, company sizes, geographies, and from both the industry and consulting point-of-view. Additionally, we have the deep connections and vast thought leadership on SIOP.

 

30+

Years of SIOP experience

44+

Client engagements

121+

Thought leadership publications

24+

Client countries

SIOP Accolades

Client Success Stories

We asked our clients about the results we achieved together.

Rick Moroski, Sr. VP and COO, SchenckProcess

Craig Young, Senior Director of Operation, Nellson Gallery

Kelly Ford, Aerospace Executive

David Cox, General Manager of Operations, Armacell LLC

Blog Posts for SIOP

Optimizing the Supply Chain for Demand and Supply Alignment

Optimizing the Supply Chain for Demand and Supply Alignment

For companies to be profitable, demand and supply must be closely aligned. When they are not, inefficiencies, excess inventory, missed shipments and margin erosion follow. In this Supply Chain Byte, Lisa Anderson explains why aligning demand and supply is key to an efficient supply chain—and why the most effective way to achieve it is through a disciplined SIOP process.

2026 supply chain priorities focusing on strategic partnerships, advanced planning, talent, technologies and tools

Supply Chain Priorities for 2026

In this Supply Chain Byte, Lisa Anderson outlines three priorities for the year ahead. These priorities set the foundation for resilience, growth and sustained success in an increasingly complex environment.

Proactive planning for EBITDA and customer success with SIOP, forecasting and advanced strategies from LMA Consulting Group

Proactive Planning Strategies for Customer & EBITDA Success

As we close in on year-end, successful manufacturers are focused on executing proactive plans. Learn about the strategies the best companies are using to accelerate the pace and separate from the pack. The ability to scale, provide customer value and gain EBITDA will drive success in the New Year.

SIOP Videos & Podcasts

Complimentary Discussion on SIOP Readiness

Manufacturing

MANUFACTURING
From profitable growth to operational performance, clients gain system-wide improvement resulting in increased business value & customer success.

Supply Chain

SUPPLY CHAIN
Setting resilient supply chain strategies, clients benefit from industry-tested best practices to maximize the customer experience, profitability and cash flow.

Technology

TECHNOLOGY
Architecting technology roadmaps & selecting best fit ERP & related software (CRM, Forecasting, WMS, B2B/B2C etc.), clients improve ROI.