Benefits of implementing Supply Chain Integration (SCI) are acknowledged in existing integration literature. Integration extending beyond functional silos and firm boundaries is expected to provide value for customers in terms of higher quality, improved service level, and reduced costs.In addition, internal integration allows business functions to align around a single company goal. This type of integration promotes value creation while decreasing redundancies and costs. Yet, regardless of the significant advances in research and practice, many organizations still experience difficulties not only to integrate activities with supply chain partners, but they also struggle to integrate activities within an organization, for example, through implementation of a sales and operations planning (S&OP) process. To tackle these challenges, organizations may need to reconsider why and how they integrate both internally and externally. However, the previous integration research provides only limited guidelines for how to carry out such evaluations. Many organizations experience difficulties in addressing the complexity related to integration and evaluation of activities internally and with SC partners. The lack of concrete guidelines for evaluation of SCI in theory is seen as one of the reasons for the still sporadic examples of successful SCI in practice. Thus, the overall purpose of this research is to increase understanding of external and internal integration in supply chains. To address the purpose, three studies (1-3) have been conducted. The study 1 highlighted the current status and several SCI challenges in academic literature and in practice. One of the major challenges relates to the absence of a systematic comprehensive approach for evaluation of internal and external integration. To contribute to closing of this gap, study 2 was conducted to develop a context based framework for evaluation of external integration. Finally, the subsequent study 3 aimed to develop a framework for evaluation of the S&OP process. Concerning the SCI challenges, this research contributes to previous integration literature by confirming some existing challenges but also by identifying additional challenges. Related to challenges of external integration, a set of contextual factors are identified which were observed to challenge the establishment of an appropriate level of external integration with SC partners. As a result a misfit occurs between the contextual factors and applied level of external integration. Additionally, reasons for the misfits were identified and discussed. Associated with the challenges of S&OP process, this thesis adds to existing fragmented literature on the S&OP process evaluation challenges by synthesizing and extending the existing knowledge. A framework has been developed which is founded on two key areas of process performance – S&OP process effectiveness and efficiency, and on various maturity levels of the process. Although several challenges were found for each maturity level, some challenges were observed occurring across more levels. Moreover, in this research, a context based framework for evaluation of external integration is proposed. The framework extends the previous SCI frameworks. It is founded on contextual factors which were considered by the studied cases when integrating with their SC partners. Furthermore, the factors were observed to promote establishment of an appropriate level of external integration. Each level consists of identified external integration activities. The thesis further contributes to the S&OP performance research by addressing the lack of process oriented frameworks for evaluation of the process performance. The proposed framework of measuring the S&OP process performance considers the five major steps of the process and their outputs as well as the output of the entire process. To reflect the process performance measures, the framework structures and defines effectiveness and efficiency measures and their relation to the process performance. The framework also conforms to the majority of the criteria for designing of appropriate performance measures. Finally, the major results of the thesis are synthesized and a framework is suggested of external integration and its effect on S&OP process performance. The framework considers the identified contextual factors, appropriate levels of external integration, and the S&OP performance measures the integration can have effect on. The thesis also discusses, alongside with the theoretical contributions, how the developed frameworks can support managers in evaluating their supply chain integration practices. Additionally, several opportunities for future research are outlined.

Titel: Sales & Operations Planning: Utvärdering, förbättring och implementering. En fallstudie på Höganäs Sweden AB.  Kurs: 4FE19E Examensarbete i Logistik för Civilekonomprogrammet. Författare: Aron Lindahl & Isac Gladh. Handledare: Peter Berling.  Bakgrund: Höganäs Sweden AB upplever att deras S&OP-arbete i nuläget inte fungerar effektivt. Missförstånd och oklarheter uppkommer ofta mellan avdelningarna och det är brist på standardiserade arbetssätt att förhålla sig till när det kommer till arbetet med S&OP. S&OP är ett verktyg som kan användas för att stärka samarbetet mellan olika avdelningar inom en verksamhet samt göra informationsdelningen mer transparant och effektivare vilket i sin tur leder till en högre grad av planeringsintegration. Representanter från företaget menar att det finns förbättringspotential kopplat till deras arbete med S&OP.  Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att generera ett ramverk som tillverkande företag kan använda för att utvärdera, förbättra samt implementera sin S&OP-process.  Metod: Detta arbete är en fallstudie på företaget Höganäs Sweden AB där empiri har samlats in genom direkta observationer, strukturerade-, semistrukturerade samt ostrukturerade intervjuer med olika representanter från företaget. Arbetet grundar sig i ett kvalitativt angreppssätt med en deduktiv ansats.  Slutsats: Denna studie har fastställt mognadsgraden för S&OP-processen vid Höganäs Sweden AB och konstaterats att det finns förbättringspotential. Studien har, utifrån nuvarande mognadsgrad, tagit fram en rad åtgärder och verktyg som syftar till att förbättra processen och på sikt öka mognadsgraden för S&OP-processen vid Höganäs Sweden AB. För att kunna implementera dessa förbättringsförslag har författarna genererat en modell som behandlar hur tillverkande företag ska implementera S&OP. Implementeringsprocessen som beskrivs i modellen är en utveckling av befintlig teori där viktiga faktorer och åtgärder från olika källor har sammanfogats till en modell för effektiv implementering. / Title: Sales & Operations Planning: Evaluation, improvement and implementation. A case study at Höganäs Sweden AB. Course: 4FE19E Degree project in Logistics, the Business Administration and Economics Programme. Authors: Aron Lindahl & Isac Gladh.  Tutors: Peter Berling. Background:  Höganäs Sweden AB is experiencing that their current S&OP is not operating effectively. Misunderstandings and ambiguities often arise between departments and there lack of standardized ways of working when it comes to S&OP. S&OP is a tool that can be used to strengthen the cooperation between departments within a business and make the information sharing more transparent and effective which in turn leads to a higher degree of plan integration. Representatives from Höganäs Sweden AB states that there is potential for improvements when it comes to their work with S&OP.    Purpose: The purpose of this case study is to generate a framework that manufacturing companies can use to evaluate, improve and implement their S&OP-process.  Method: This is a case study at Höganäs Sweden AB where the empirical data has been collected through direct observations and unstructured, semi-structured and structured interviews. The work is based on a qualitative strategy with a deductive approach. Conclusion: This case study has determined the maturity level of the S&OP process at Höganäs Sweden AB and established that there is potential for improvements. The case study has, based on the current maturity level, generated a number of improvement suggestions with the purpose of improving the process and in the long run increase the maturity level for the S&OP process at Höganäs Sweden AB. In order to be able to implement these improvement suggestions the authors have generated a model that cover how manufacturing companies should implement S&OP. The implementation process that is described in the model is a development of existing theory where important elements and actions from different sources has been collected and merged into one model for effective implementation.

Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) is used as a tactical business process to balanceorganisations’ demand and supply. This is done through long-term planning of manufacturing and sales in comparison to the forecasted demand and resource capacity planning. S&OP link the corporate strategic plan to the day-to-day operation plans. Based on S&OP, a more advanced and mature model named Integrated Business Planning (IBP) has been developed. IBP have a stronger consideration of the financial perspectives of the outcomes in the processand increases the collaboration of the end-to-end supply chain. The case company; Nouryon, transitioned from S&OP processes to IBP in 2019. However, the organisation’s implemented model was unsatisfactorily received, therefore an initiative to redeploy and improve the Integrated Business Planning processes started. The purpose of this research is to analyse how the organisation’s IBP processes can be improved, by structuring and developing standardized processes. The Master Thesis project was conducted in collaboration with Business Planning managers and executives globally throughout the organisation. To achieve the purpose of the project, a literature review, interviews, observations, document collection and a questionnaire were executed at Nouryon’s Nordic Business Center. Nouryon’s Integrated Business Planning processes were mapped by collecting and analysing internal data.The current state was evaluated against the literature to identify any gaps from a theoretical perspective to fulfil the processes. The organisation’s current maturity level was evaluated by applying thematic content analysison the interviews, internal company document collection and outputs from the questionnaire. These were based on several research frameworks in S&OP maturity levels and Oliver Wight’s Class A Checklist for Business Excellence. Consequently, deriving improvements of how Nouryon could reach a higher maturity level. The results of the thesis project were presented and used in internal workshops together with global cross-functional teams. New and improved Integrated Business Planning processes were drafted in the workshop for the PMR meetings. The workshop for SMR is planned for a later date and will be conducted using a similar format. In conclusion, no theoretical standard framework for using IBP is available. Various literaturesources present theories on how organisations should form their processes, including a guideline on what topics should be covered in the IBP meetings. Nouryon can achieve a higher maturity level in its IBP processes, by addressing improvement suggestions related to the analysis of this project. Furthermore, the recommendations were collected, summarised, and categorised using an impact and effort matrix for efficient implementation.