Lokad vs RELEX Demand Planning

Lokad is a supply chain decision platform that uses predictive analytics and optimization to guide purchasing, allocation, pricing and prioritization. Its probabilistic forecasts represent possible future scenarios, and it links recommendations to financial impact and business objectives. Lokad automates routine calculations such as reorder quantities, multi-echelon allocations, lead-time adjustments and repair schedules. Users can build decision-generating applications in Envision, Lokad’s supply-chain-focused programming language. The recommended data exchange is file transfer by FTPS or SFTP, with options to push or pull files; native integrations with third-party apps are being phased out. Lokad serves industries including retail, aerospace, automotive, fashion, oil and gas, and manufacturing. The platform runs on the web, and a managed subscription typically includes end-to-end support from one or more Supply Chain Scientists. Pricing is on request. A free trial can be requested by email, and the reduced Envision Playground is available without registration. Lokad was founded in Paris in 2008.

RELEX Demand Planning forecasts demand for planning across merchandising, supply chains, and operations. Its manufacturer-focused Demand Planning & Sensing supports SKU/day forecasts, aggregated up to a 24-month horizon, along with demand sensing and product lifecycle forecasting. Models can account for promotions, point-of-sale signals, weather, seasonality, cannibalization, and halo effects. For new products, a Product Attribute AI agent matches them with reference products to create day-one forecasts. Configurable dashboards let planners review, adjust, aggregate, and share forecasts, handle exceptions, investigate anomalies, and see how demand factors affect results. Users can compare what-if scenarios before choosing a plan to execute. Connections are available through files and APIs, with named systems including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Visma, IFS, AS400, Databricks, and Snowflake. The SAP Connector supports S/4HANA on-premises, S/4HANA private cloud (RISE), and ECC 6.0 EHP8, but not S/4 public cloud (GROW) or earlier ECC versions. RELEX lists web as its platform. Pricing is on request; prospective customers can request a demo.