Unipac integrates S&OP, capacity and inventory with NPLAN and cuts shortages by 58%
A national reference in polymer application technologies and part of Grupo Jacto, Unipac replaced spreadsheets and decentralized analyses with a single integrated planning environment, reducing manual effort, accelerating decisions and improving inventory health at the Pompeia/SP plant.
Results at the Pompeia plant
Indicators measured after NPLAN stabilization, comparing the previous spreadsheet-based state with the integrated planning model.
About Unipac
Celebrating 50 years in 2026 and with around 1,000 employees, Unipac is a national reference in polymer application technologies. It combines six production processes in a single operation: blow molding, injection, structural injection, sheet extrusion, thermoforming and rotomolding.
It serves sectors such as automotive, agribusiness, logistics, food and industrial electric vehicles, with two manufacturing plants in Pompeia (SP) and Limeira (SP) and three in-house operations at strategic customers. Unipac is the leading supplier of rigid plastic packaging for agrochemicals and is part of Grupo Jacto, a Brazilian multinational present on five continents.
"Depois de procurar e testar várias plataformas consolidadas no mercado, escolhemos o NPLAN porque foi quem melhor atendeu aos requisitos de gestão de estoques e às complexidades da fábrica. Mais de 350 cenários simulados nos últimos 6 meses, 27% de redução em atrasos e rupturas, 15% de melhoria na saúde dos estoques."
The challenge
Before NPLAN, planning was centered in Pompeia but involved two other cities and six internal subdivisions, relying heavily on parallel spreadsheets and decentralized analyses. Each simulation required intense operational effort to generate scenarios, review plans and identify shortage risks, leading to reactive decisions based on non-integrated data.
S&OP, MPS and tactical planning reviews required long preparation cycles. The lack of a single simulation model made it hard to forecast the impact of demand, capacity, lead time, inventory policy, product mix and material constraint variations, increasing the risk of delays, excess inventory and low decision accuracy.
Unipac was looking for a solution that could integrate forecast, orders, capacity and inventory parameters in a single environment, with daily automated refresh, reducing manual effort and creating a consistent structure for simulation, fast response and long-term planning.
The NPLAN solution
The deployment consolidated forecast, firm orders, inventory, inventory policies, BOM, capacities, resource constraints and supply lead times in a single model, automatically calculating projected balance across the planning horizon.
Integrated monthly plan for S&OP
A technical cornerstone was the integrated monthly plan, projecting finished goods, semi-finished and raw material needs simultaneously, considering inventory policies, aggregated demand and production capacity. The automated flow replaced manual analyses and increased precision in replenishment, consumption, availability and shortage risk calculations.
Synchronization with Opcenter AS
NPLAN started generating planned orders for production replenishment, synchronizing the tactical plan with Opcenter AS scheduling. This technical alignment reduced inconsistencies between planning and execution.
Inventory health projection and alerts
The solution calculates future inventory in units, value and days of coverage, generating automatic alerts for shortage, excess, obsolescence or misalignment between production plan and inventory policy. Forecast accuracy is continuously tracked with indicators such as WMAPE.
Multi-variable simulations and SAP integration
The simulation module supports testing demand increments on strategic items, machine capacity, inventory policies, lot sizes, lead times and critical material constraints, supporting decisions on plan cuts, anticipations, commercial prioritization and supplier negotiation. SAP integrations run in cycles of just a few minutes, ensuring NPLAN always works with up-to-date data.
As a user and key user of NPLAN, I experience daily the gains it brought to planning and process governance. Operationally, NPLAN made the routine more organized, reliable and agile; as a key user, it enabled us to standardize practices, support teams, improve information quality and continuously evolve the process.
Detailed results
Routine automation and information centralization substantially reduced manual work for the planning team. A process previously executed by one person across an entire month is now done part-time in two weeks, with scenario simulations in minutes and more team capacity for strategic analyses.
Direct action on inventory health reduced material shortages by 58% and shortage risk by 24%, driven by early identification and continuous demand projection. It was also possible to eliminate 53% of stagnant stock and 56% of obsolete stock, correcting excesses and strengthening availability of critical items. Production balancing advanced significantly, with better distribution of factory load and improved use of installed capacity.
Daily automated data integration ensured higher reliability and eliminated discrepancies that previously hindered decision-making. Automatic alerts now drive focus toward exceptions, reducing rework and speeding up response to deviations. The number of simulations grew exponentially, surpassing 1,000 scenarios generated.
Historical scenario tracking enabled critical analyses between annual planning and monthly execution. Specialized dashboards compare forecasted demand, actual revenue, expected machine usage and actual production, consolidating a clear reference for executive direction and evidence-based management.
The NPLAN deployment marked the evolution of Unipac's Supply Chain. By integrating planning, production and inventory, the solution raised the level of decisions and brought speed, confidence and integrated visibility. It reduced excesses, freed working capital and increased service level. With reliable data and an integrated supply chain view, NPLAN became a key piece to sustain Unipac's growth.
Digitizing internal processes always brings expectation and some discomfort. NPLAN quickly demonstrated its ability to deliver concrete results in inventory management and significantly raised the efficiency of S&OP cycles. Beyond operational gains, what stands out is the cultural transformation: we now evolve more dynamically, asking more relevant questions and getting consistent answers that provide insights previously unimaginable.
Want results like Unipac's in your operation?
Talk to the NPLAN team about SAP and Opcenter AS integration and structuring an integrated S&OP process.