Supply Chain Modeling & Analysis: A New Era in Supply Chain Design

A Brief History: From Network Design to Modeling & Analysis

By the 1990s, "Network Design" was all the rage in the supply chain world. Thanks to game-changing tools from innovators like CAPS Logistics, i2, and LogicTools, businesses could finally tackle big questions about facility locations and product flows with precision and practicality. These tools cemented "Network Design" as a go-to term in the supply chain playbook.

But as businesses grew more complex and interconnected, the trusty "Network Design" label started to feel a little too narrow. Enter LLamasoft in the early 2000s, shaking things up by building on the groundwork of earlier pioneers and redefining the space with a more holistic "Supply Chain Design" approach. They expanded the scope to cover everything from network structures to inventory policies, transportation strategies, and trade-offs across the entire supply chain. By helping businesses see the bigger picture, LLamasoft brought a fresh perspective to what supply chain design could achieve.

Fast forward to today, and the game has changed yet again. Modeling teams aren’t just focused on big-picture strategic projects anymore. They’re juggling everything from evaluating operational impacts to tackling near-term challenges and delivering next-best-action recommendations on the fly. The term "Supply Chain Design" feels like it’s bursting at the seams, no longer able to capture the full scope of what these teams are making happen.

Why Modeling & Analysis? Why Now?

Traditionally, supply chain design assumes a well-defined set of questions that the technology is tasked with answering. Each question is tackled as part of a standalone project, delivering a predefined set of outputs to be translated elsewhere in the business. While this worked when supply chains operated as predictable, steady-state systems, that approach is no longer sustainable—or viable—in today’s ever-changing world.

The New Reality

In this new reality, supply chains face more specific “what-if” questions daily—urgent scenarios with real-world stakes. These aren’t hypothetical exercises; they carry short term consequences. The right decisions can mean the difference between retaining loyal customers and losing them, between balancing inventory and tying up millions in excess stock.

• What if Walmart suddenly triples its orders?

• What if a competitor unexpectedly exits the market?

• What if fulfillment centers change operating hours?

• What if driver wait times need to drop from 18 to 10 minutes?

• What if workforce needs fluctuate by 40% every week?

Modern supply chain decision-making demands more than rigid static answers. The term "Modeling & Analysis" reflects this shift—it’s about creating living models that ‘fit’ each problem at hand and allow you to analyze, optimize, and adapt in the face of constant change. 

Modeling & Analysis: Moving beyond Rigid Supply Chain Solutions

As the role of the modeler continues to expand, the tools supporting them must evolve as well. Many organizations still rely on a patchwork of spreadsheets and point solutions, requiring significant manual effort to piece together data and generate insights. These fragmented approaches are brittle, error-prone, and unable to scale—leaving analysts spending more time managing data than solving problems.

Today’s landscape demands a new generation of solutions—ones that not only build on the foundation of earlier design technologies but also push boundaries to meet modern challenges. Lyric transforms periodic analysis into continuous decision intelligence, making complex modeling faster, more precise, and adaptable for the future. Whether addressing traditional design questions or tackling fast-changing market conditions, Lyric delivers actionable answers to critical business challenges—offering the resilience and agility that today’s businesses require to thrive.

Building Core Competencies

Our approach to supply chain modeling transcends traditional boundaries. This isn’t just about enhancing existing models; it’s about creating an ecosystem that intuitively understands and adapts to the nuances of your business through a vital set of core competencies:

• Large-Scale Data Management: Modern modeling begins with efficient data management. Lyric Studio connects directly to enterprise sources, processes billions of records (250M+ for CPG, 1B+ for retail), and balances speed with scale—ensuring data integrity at all times.

• From Analysis to Data Products: One-off analyses aren’t enough anymore. Organizations need scalable solutions that automate data preparation and enable self-service analytics. This turns isolated insights into powerful, enterprise-wide capabilities.

• Composable Solutions: Supply chains are unique, and solutions must be flexible. Lyric allows organizations to combine various analyses, create end-to-end solutions, and build custom applications without being limited by rigid frameworks.

• Always-On Modeling: Modeling can no longer be a periodic exercise. With automated scheduling of data refreshes, model runs, and sensitivity analyses—coupled with intelligent notifications—organizations maintain a continuous pulse on operations.

• Democratized Insights: Insights need to reach the right people in the right format. With role-specific interfaces and self-service capabilities, Lyric transforms modelers into product builders, delivering actionable insights across the enterprise.

Lyric is empowering organizations to build these core competencies through its four-layer platform, Lyric Studio.

Lyric Studio

Lyric Studio is a four-layer platform designed to help teams collaborate and seamlessly create solutions to design and optimize supply chains. It offers supply chain modelers the familiarity of off the shelf tools through Ready Apps like Network Optimization, Routing, and Inventory Optimization. But it doesn’t stop there—Lyric Studio also empowers users to go beyond the status quo, giving them the flexibility to craft their own solutions by leveraging any or all of the platform’s powerful layers.

• Data Layer: At the foundation, Lyric seamlessly integrates with your enterprise data sources. A robust data catalog ensures data integrity and security, providing a solid foundation for advanced modeling.

• Algorithm Layer: The algorithm layer is home to a comprehensive library of supply chain algorithms. Teams can leverage pre-built models or deploy their own to meet specific challenges, unlocking advanced analytics power where and how it matches the problem at hand.

• Workflows Layer: Lyric’s true innovation shines here. Using intuitive no-code building blocks, teams can automate processes, create workflows, and build custom logic. This transforms complex modeling into streamlined, user-friendly solutions.

• Models & Application Layer: The final layer brings supply chain solutions to life. With configurable interfaces, role-based views, and automated reporting, this layer ensures insights reach the right people at the right time, making complex models actionable.

Empowering Every Individual in Every Role

Lyric empowers everyone across the supply chain to achieve more, simplifying complexity and enabling smarter, faster decisions. Whether modelers, operators, leaders, or data scientists, Lyric redefines roles, breaks down traditional barriers, and unlocks greater value.

• Supply Chain Modelers: Traditionally bogged down by data preparation and siloed tools, modelers often spent too much time on maintenance. With Lyric, they become product creators, leveraging end-to-end workflows and reusable tools to build scalable applications. Automated data pipelines free them up to focus on long-term, high-value solutions.

• Business Operators: Front-line decision-makers often wait for slow, technical analyses they can't easily apply. Lyric equips operators with real-time insights, role-specific dashboards, and the ability to run scenarios independently, empowering them to make fast, confident decisions based on the most current data.

• Data Scientists: While advanced analytics and custom algorithms are essential, data scientists often face challenges with large-scale data processing and complex integrations. Lyric simplifies this by enabling them to deploy custom algorithms and automated prediction engines, allowing for scalable solutions without compromising speed.

• Supply Chain Leaders: Traditional tools often limit leaders to slow, quarterly decision-making cycles. Lyric shifts them to continuous, real-time modeling, fostering internal centers of excellence and enabling scalable, enterprise-wide solutions. This transformation empowers leaders to build a sustainable competitive edge.

By integrating data, modeling, and applications on a single platform, Lyric enables every role to create a greater impact across the supply chain.

One of Lyric’s customers, a major $20B retailer, was struggling with outdated supply chain systems. With 642 stores, 22 distribution centers, and 3 manufacturing plants, the retailer was stuck in a slow, reactive decision-making cycle. They couldn't adjust quickly enough across their vast network.

With Lyric, everything changed. The retailer now responds to market shifts in hours, not weeks. Their teams optimize network decisions in real-time, cutting response times by 80% and turning supply chain challenges into competitive advantages.

Transform Your Supply Chain Today

The future of supply chain design is rooted in composability, agility, and access to advanced science—elements traditional systems simply can't provide. Lyric leads the way with a platform that removes barriers, making cutting-edge tools, data science, and insights accessible to everyone. 

Lyric empowers organizations to respond swiftly to change, turning every "what-if" into an opportunity for growth and resilience.

Lyric Studio helps organizations manage vast amounts of data, build dynamic models, and make proactive, informed decisions at every level—from operators to executives. By embracing continuous, always-on modeling, Lyric ensures businesses stay ahead of change and build resilience in an unpredictable world.

Lyric Studio for Modeling & Analysis is purpose-built to meet these demands head-on.

Imagine a world where you’re free from the constraints of rigid, prebuilt modeling tools—no more force-fitting your challenges into predefined limits. Instead, picture yourself in the driver’s seat, crafting tailored, automated solutions that empower your enterprise to answer questions faster, more accurately, and in a way that speaks to every stakeholder. This is the new era of modeling and analysis—intelligent,intuitive, and dynamic.