The Planet’s Forecast

The robust forecasting provided by Demand Solutions has given Lonely Planet Publications efficiency and flexibility

It seems odd to hear Andrew Leggatt, global logistics manager for Lonely Planet Publications, talk about the "short shelf life" of travel guidebooks, especially since his previous employer was in the grocery supply business.

Even so, when he arrived at Lonely Planet over three years ago from McCormick Foods to implement a forecasting solution, "You could have knocked me down with a feather" over the company's lack of planning tools, Leggatt said. While Lonely Planet has used Demand Solutions for most of his tenure, before Leggatt there was an attempt to do quarterly forecasts using spreadsheets. However, that had problems.