Demand Forecasting and Inventory Optimization with Nicolas Vandeput

In this episode of Forecasting Impact, hosts George Boretos and Mariana Menchero speak with Nicolas Vandeput, supply chain data scientist, author, educator, founder of SupChains, and organizer of the VN competitions. Drawing on years of experience in demand forecasting and inventory optimization, Nicolas challenges several widely held assumptions and shares a practical perspective on what truly creates value in forecasting.

We discuss the role of machine learning in demand forecasting, the importance of strong benchmarks, common pitfalls in forecast evaluation, and how inventory optimization changes the way we think about forecasting performance. Nicolas also shares lessons from working with practitioners across industries and reflects on the key insights from the VN1 Forecasting and VN2 Inventory Planning competitions.