By Chris Keller | Principal, Supply Chain Design | Chainalytics | The complexity involved in simultaneously optimizing a supply chain network and the inventory within that network has traditionally proven to be a sufficient barrier to completing such exercises. MORE
Amongst the many variables in running a Supply Chain, the one certainty in FMCG, Pharmaceutical and Agri businesses is that inventory is solely in the eye of the beholder. FMCG Forecasting & Demand Planning Inventory Management & Stock Control Supply Chain Analytics MORE
In my last two blogs I offered three reasons why multinationals are still struggling with inventory optimisation. This is da story of how one organisation managed to turn around decades of frustration trying to optimise their inventory. MORE
Now, being a supply chain person, I ask myself, just how much inventory does this company have to maintain to have a part for a 17-year old refrigerator sitting on the shelf and ready to ship? Long-tail inventory strategies concentrate on managing the B, C, D, etc. MORE
Two powerful levers a company can use to optimize inventory are “Working Capital” and “Customer Service Levels.” At its most basic, start with a piece of graph paper and plot your current service level on the x-axis and current inventory level on the y-axis. MORE
We were discussing the results of the planning benchmarking work that we have just finished, and I was sharing some insights on inventory management when one of the panelists emphatically stated, “Inventory is a waste to manage. Inventory is both. MORE
Supply chain leaders often find themselves in a difficult situation when it comes to the conflicting goals of improving customer service and minimizing inventory. Companies that embrace Multi-echelon Inventory Optimization (MEIO) achieve, on average, a 28% increase in inventory turns. MORE
by Andrew Dunbar So you’re an inventory manager, and your CFO just asked you to reduce inventory by 10% before year end to free up some capital for next year’s big investment in R&D. Figure 1: The theoretical on hand inventory level of a single item. MORE
by Alexa Cheater Our partner Celestica recently published the following article, ‘ Is your company being held hostage by poor inventory performance? ’ Poor inventory performance can create a significant obstacle to growth and profitability. MORE
But the sheer complexity of supply chain networks, and the impact design decisions have on operational performance, makes supply chain inventory management aligning inventory investments with on-time customer delivery and margins a major challenge. Implementing inventory optimization. MORE
Source: Gartner, Cover Considerations—How to Optimize Retail and Consumer Product Inventory Targets, 2017. But I have to differ with the conclusions of a recent report, “ Cover Considerations — How to Optimize Retail and Consumer Product Inventory Targets.”. MORE
The impact of complexity on inventory is not quick. To help, today I want to share some of the insights from our recent Inventory Optimization study. Inventory management is a hot issue. Companies invest in project after project, yet inventory levels remain the same. MORE
by Andrew Dunbar This post concludes my inventory management blog series. Inventory management is not a stand-alone business process that occurs after other processes are complete. How does your inventory manager’s role compare to the one I’ve described here? MORE
Top supply chain officers across the industry were recently surveyed¹ on their biggest barriers to effective inventory management. It’s no wonder: often inventory placement decisions are made in a vacuum without considering the end-to-end supply chain impact. How do you predict how much inventory to build when you can’t […]. Their top two responses were “Can’t Optimize Network Holistically” and “Demand Volatility”. MORE
by Alexa Cheater Don’t get caught having your company’s inventory management conversation alone! Re-evaluating your inventory management practices can help you overcome rising supply chain costs, increasing customer demand and the growing complexity of global operations. MORE
But we have also seen companies misinterpret the lean message when it comes to inventory. It's good to trim bloated inventory and free up working capital. But inventory optimization can actually contribute to a lean environment. MORE
Inventory management, network infrastructure, and labor deployment are all critical components necessary to meet this intense customer demand. Inventory Management Strategy. This leaves us with one option: pushing the boundaries of current inventory management practices. MORE
There are diverse types of inventory management technology and systems, designed to properly sort, control and act upon information with a company’s inventory. As explained by Kenneth Hamlett of the Houston Chronicle , the two dominant types of inventory management technologies include manual and automated systems. But, there are additional levels of inventory management in between. The basic and most limited type of inventory management system is a manual system. MORE
When it comes to the management of inventory in value chains, frustration abounds. Executive, after executive, lament, “They have purchased many technologies and sponsored many projects to reduce inventories, but they are not seeing results.” MORE
ABC inventory classification has been around so long that most planners just assume it’s the only way to segment your inventory. Inventory Segmentation from the 1960s. To understand the shortcomings of ABC inventory classification, we need to understand how it is done. MORE
Principal Analyst James Cooke of Nucleus Research just published his 2016 Inventory Optimization Value Matrix which highlights this year’s key trends, including functionality and usability. He reiterates why his firm sees inventory optimization (IO) solutions as so important. MORE
Inventory distortion costs retailers nearly $158 for every man, woman, and child on the planet. Billion a year is the cost of Inventory distortion in North America, an amount equivalent to the annual revenues of Kroger, Home Depot, and Target combined. chem7/Flickr. MORE
CEO Inventory Management & Stock Control Supply Chain Analytics Integrated Business Planning retailI touched on the problem of expanding UK waistlines a few blogs ago and the topic popped up again recently when I was out and about shopping for clothes – no, not me. MORE
Inventory Management Michael Thompson Integrated Planning supply chain analyticsLast week I had another chat with a client about inventory.The essence of the client's problem was - "Why can't we get our stock right? We either have too much …. MORE
Inventory is considered the necessary evil of the supply chain. Of course, inventory plays many important functions and while it does have a cost we need to keep inventory to protect against risks. In What Drives Inventory in Your Supply Chain? MORE
To combat its planning issues, Sonus took four steps to improve demand, reduce inventory, and share information better across the entire network. Combining these four steps has enabled Sonus to improve daily operations in demand and supply management, inventory optimization, and S&OP. MORE
Want to reduce your inventory? And the best inventory reductions are done in a targeted, highly strategic fashion—not blindly and across-the-board. Everybody blames a bad sales forecast for the excess inventory. Take Steps Now to Reduce Inventory. MORE
by Andrew Dunbar The modern day inventory manager described in this series is the backbone of your company’s inventory planning process. It should be up-to-date (daily at a minimum), and include all the input data required to make your inventory planning decisions. MORE
Inventory configuration is usually the predominant issue in most manufacturing environments. Inventory policy is usually the predominant issue in most distribution environments. This risk pooling approach frequently requires less inventory. MORE
Inventory Management Omni-Channel Commerce Supply Chain Impacts Service Parts Planning Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Technology implications of omni-channel retail in supply chain management multi-echelon inventory optimization technology omni-channel customer fulfillment technology support Supply chain Matters blog ToolsGroup MORE
Customer service FMCG Pharma Inventory Management & Stock Control Supply Chain AnalyticsSenior Management has been on quite a shopping spree over the last few months taking advantage of various big name high street stores that have lost their lustre and even their premises in some cases. MORE
Inventory management is one of the most important tasks for supply chain management professionals. However, most inventory control theories are too complicated or too difficult to apply to real world situations. MORE
Inventory optimization is one proven way to do it. Inventory is an untapped, cash-rich asset. Most companies have some form of supply chain systems to manage inventory from production through delivery. Of course, you need inventory. Inventory Optimization MORE
What is Lean Inventory Management? More firms are implementing lean inventory management techniques to reduce costs, improve flexibility and have more time to focus on their customers. What is Lean Inventory Management? Attributes of Lean Inventory Management. MORE
Inventory management is one of the most important tasks for supply chain management professionals. However, most inventory control theories are too complicated or too difficult to apply to real world situations. MORE
Recently, we were asked by the management of a manufacturer to help them assess why inventory levels were so high and trending upward. We went to the manufacturing plant to survey the scene, to see if we could determine the root cause of their inventory problem. Where was the inventory? MORE
Inventory optimization has always been a challenge while designing and planning a supply chain. A variety of barriers can impact an effective inventory strategy, such as working in functional silos and demand/supplier volatility¹. Asking the Right Inventory Questions. MORE
Instead, in the SanDisk journey , they adjusted the speed of response to their customer segments, and actively designing inventory postponement strategies. This included monthly reviews between business units and central operations teams and adaptive inventory segmentation policies. MORE
Inbound manufacturing inventory management can be a costly challenge, even for the best supply chain and logistics teams. The solution for some, as was written previously on this topic , is to carry excess inventory to compensate for deficiencies in the supply chain management. MORE
Industry analysts have pointed out an obvious fit with inventory optimization. If retailers optimize their inventory—dynamically aligning their supply chains to changing customer preferences and behavior—they can position inventory to satisfy demand at the lowest possible cost. MORE
Reason #6 Not effectively managing inventory. Unfortunately, all the same kinds of things can happen to your supply chain inventory. Except that your inventory costs millions of dollars. So what strategies are out there to maintain inventories at the “right” level? MORE
by Andrew Dunbar Over the last several weeks, this blog series on Inventory Management has explored the objectives and roles of inventory managers and outlined several of the improvement levers available to them. So, what do you need to measure to manage your inventory ? MORE
With the popularity of online shopping, the supply chain has become more multifaceted, increasing the importance of an organization’s reverse logistics strategy and inventory management practices. Logistics Transportation Supply Chain Inventory MORE
Inventory Related Topics Supply Chain Shaman
OCTOBER 22, 2015
The impact of complexity on inventory is not quick. To help, today I want to share some of the insights from our recent Inventory Optimization study. Inventory management is a hot issue. Companies invest in project after project, yet inventory levels remain the same.
The 21st Century Supply Chain
MARCH 22, 2017
But the sheer complexity of supply chain networks, and the impact design decisions have on operational performance, makes supply chain inventory management aligning inventory investments with on-time customer delivery and margins a major challenge. Implementing inventory optimization.
ToolsGroup
AUGUST 1, 2017
Source: Gartner, Cover Considerations—How to Optimize Retail and Consumer Product Inventory Targets, 2017. But I have to differ with the conclusions of a recent report, “ Cover Considerations — How to Optimize Retail and Consumer Product Inventory Targets.”.
Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
We were discussing the results of the planning benchmarking work that we have just finished, and I was sharing some insights on inventory management when one of the panelists emphatically stated, “Inventory is a waste to manage. Inventory is both.
The 21st Century Supply Chain
JULY 23, 2015
by Andrew Dunbar This post concludes my inventory management blog series. Inventory management is not a stand-alone business process that occurs after other processes are complete. How does your inventory manager’s role compare to the one I’ve described here?
The 21st Century Supply Chain
AUGUST 18, 2017
by Alexa Cheater Don’t get caught having your company’s inventory management conversation alone! Re-evaluating your inventory management practices can help you overcome rising supply chain costs, increasing customer demand and the growing complexity of global operations.
The 21st Century Supply Chain
JUNE 22, 2015
by Andrew Dunbar Over the last several weeks, this blog series on Inventory Management has explored the objectives and roles of inventory managers and outlined several of the improvement levers available to them. So, what do you need to measure to manage your inventory ?
Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy
FEBRUARY 10, 2016
Amongst the many variables in running a Supply Chain, the one certainty in FMCG, Pharmaceutical and Agri businesses is that inventory is solely in the eye of the beholder. FMCG Forecasting & Demand Planning Inventory Management & Stock Control Supply Chain Analytics
The 21st Century Supply Chain
JUNE 15, 2015
by Andrew Dunbar So you’re an inventory manager, and your CFO just asked you to reduce inventory by 10% before year end to free up some capital for next year’s big investment in R&D. Figure 1: The theoretical on hand inventory level of a single item.
Supply Chain Opz
JUNE 23, 2014
Inventory management is one of the most important tasks for supply chain management professionals. However, most inventory control theories are too complicated or too difficult to apply to real world situations.
The 21st Century Supply Chain
MARCH 25, 2015
by Alexa Cheater Our partner Celestica recently published the following article, ‘ Is your company being held hostage by poor inventory performance? ’ Poor inventory performance can create a significant obstacle to growth and profitability.
The 21st Century Supply Chain
JUNE 29, 2015
by Andrew Dunbar The modern day inventory manager described in this series is the backbone of your company’s inventory planning process. It should be up-to-date (daily at a minimum), and include all the input data required to make your inventory planning decisions.
Logility
JUNE 7, 2017
Two powerful levers a company can use to optimize inventory are “Working Capital” and “Customer Service Levels.” At its most basic, start with a piece of graph paper and plot your current service level on the x-axis and current inventory level on the y-axis.
Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy
DECEMBER 2, 2015
In my last two blogs I offered three reasons why multinationals are still struggling with inventory optimisation. This is da story of how one organisation managed to turn around decades of frustration trying to optimise their inventory.
PLS Logistics
DECEMBER 8, 2016
With the popularity of online shopping, the supply chain has become more multifaceted, increasing the importance of an organization’s reverse logistics strategy and inventory management practices. Logistics Transportation Supply Chain Inventory
Logistics Viewpoints
OCTOBER 8, 2015
Top supply chain officers across the industry were recently surveyed¹ on their biggest barriers to effective inventory management. It’s no wonder: often inventory placement decisions are made in a vacuum without considering the end-to-end supply chain impact. How do you predict how much inventory to build when you can’t […]. Their top two responses were “Can’t Optimize Network Holistically” and “Demand Volatility”.
ToolsGroup
MARCH 22, 2016
Principal Analyst James Cooke of Nucleus Research just published his 2016 Inventory Optimization Value Matrix which highlights this year’s key trends, including functionality and usability. He reiterates why his firm sees inventory optimization (IO) solutions as so important.
The 21st Century Supply Chain
OCTOBER 20, 2014
Reason #6 Not effectively managing inventory. Unfortunately, all the same kinds of things can happen to your supply chain inventory. Except that your inventory costs millions of dollars. So what strategies are out there to maintain inventories at the “right” level?
ToolsGroup
MARCH 15, 2016
ABC inventory classification has been around so long that most planners just assume it’s the only way to segment your inventory. Inventory Segmentation from the 1960s. To understand the shortcomings of ABC inventory classification, we need to understand how it is done.
Logility
JUNE 5, 2017
Supply chain leaders often find themselves in a difficult situation when it comes to the conflicting goals of improving customer service and minimizing inventory. Companies that embrace Multi-echelon Inventory Optimization (MEIO) achieve, on average, a 28% increase in inventory turns.
ToolsGroup
NOVEMBER 3, 2015
But we have also seen companies misinterpret the lean message when it comes to inventory. It's good to trim bloated inventory and free up working capital. But inventory optimization can actually contribute to a lean environment.
ToolsGroup
NOVEMBER 10, 2015
Inventory configuration is usually the predominant issue in most manufacturing environments. Inventory policy is usually the predominant issue in most distribution environments. This risk pooling approach frequently requires less inventory.
OPS Rules
MAY 20, 2014
Inventory is considered the necessary evil of the supply chain. Of course, inventory plays many important functions and while it does have a cost we need to keep inventory to protect against risks. In What Drives Inventory in Your Supply Chain?
Ryder Exchange
JUNE 30, 2015
Inbound manufacturing inventory management can be a costly challenge, even for the best supply chain and logistics teams. The solution for some, as was written previously on this topic , is to carry excess inventory to compensate for deficiencies in the supply chain management.
Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy
AUGUST 31, 2016
CEO Inventory Management & Stock Control Supply Chain Analytics Integrated Business Planning retailI touched on the problem of expanding UK waistlines a few blogs ago and the topic popped up again recently when I was out and about shopping for clothes – no, not me.
Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy
NOVEMBER 18, 2015
Inventory Management Michael Thompson Integrated Planning supply chain analyticsLast week I had another chat with a client about inventory.The essence of the client's problem was - "Why can't we get our stock right? We either have too much ….
Logility
APRIL 3, 2017
Now, being a supply chain person, I ask myself, just how much inventory does this company have to maintain to have a part for a 17-year old refrigerator sitting on the shelf and ready to ship? Long-tail inventory strategies concentrate on managing the B, C, D, etc.
ToolsGroup
MAY 17, 2016
Industry analysts have pointed out an obvious fit with inventory optimization. If retailers optimize their inventory—dynamically aligning their supply chains to changing customer preferences and behavior—they can position inventory to satisfy demand at the lowest possible cost.
The Network Effect
JUNE 12, 2015
Inventory distortion costs retailers nearly $158 for every man, woman, and child on the planet. Billion a year is the cost of Inventory distortion in North America, an amount equivalent to the annual revenues of Kroger, Home Depot, and Target combined. chem7/Flickr.
The 21st Century Supply Chain
AUGUST 2, 2016
To combat its planning issues, Sonus took four steps to improve demand, reduce inventory, and share information better across the entire network. Combining these four steps has enabled Sonus to improve daily operations in demand and supply management, inventory optimization, and S&OP.
Supply Chain Matters
APRIL 5, 2016
Inventory Management Omni-Channel Commerce Supply Chain Impacts Service Parts Planning Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Technology implications of omni-channel retail in supply chain management multi-echelon inventory optimization technology omni-channel customer fulfillment technology support Supply chain Matters blog ToolsGroup
Logility
JULY 23, 2012
Recently, we were asked by the management of a manufacturer to help them assess why inventory levels were so high and trending upward. We went to the manufacturing plant to survey the scene, to see if we could determine the root cause of their inventory problem. Where was the inventory?
Talking Logistics
APRIL 16, 2015
Inventory optimization has always been a challenge while designing and planning a supply chain. A variety of barriers can impact an effective inventory strategy, such as working in functional silos and demand/supplier volatility¹. Asking the Right Inventory Questions.
Supply Chain Shaman
SEPTEMBER 20, 2015
Instead, in the SanDisk journey , they adjusted the speed of response to their customer segments, and actively designing inventory postponement strategies. This included monthly reviews between business units and central operations teams and adaptive inventory segmentation policies.
ToolsGroup
MAY 3, 2016
Inventory optimization is one proven way to do it. Inventory is an untapped, cash-rich asset. Most companies have some form of supply chain systems to manage inventory from production through delivery. Of course, you need inventory. Inventory Optimization
Demand Solutions
SEPTEMBER 7, 2016
Want to reduce your inventory? And the best inventory reductions are done in a targeted, highly strategic fashion—not blindly and across-the-board. Everybody blames a bad sales forecast for the excess inventory. Take Steps Now to Reduce Inventory.
Enchange Supply Chain Consultancy
AUGUST 4, 2016
Customer service FMCG Pharma Inventory Management & Stock Control Supply Chain AnalyticsSenior Management has been on quite a shopping spree over the last few months taking advantage of various big name high street stores that have lost their lustre and even their premises in some cases.
CHAINalytics
MARCH 28, 2017
By Chris Keller | Principal, Supply Chain Design | Chainalytics | The complexity involved in simultaneously optimizing a supply chain network and the inventory within that network has traditionally proven to be a sufficient barrier to completing such exercises.
Cerasis
AUGUST 11, 2017
There are diverse types of inventory management technology and systems, designed to properly sort, control and act upon information with a company’s inventory. As explained by Kenneth Hamlett of the Houston Chronicle , the two dominant types of inventory management technologies include manual and automated systems. But, there are additional levels of inventory management in between. The basic and most limited type of inventory management system is a manual system.
Supply Chain Opz
MARCH 26, 2015
Inventory management is one of the most important tasks for supply chain management professionals. However, most inventory control theories are too complicated or too difficult to apply to real world situations.
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS YOUR PEERS ARE READING
31 
Let's personalize your content