You can’t expect manufacturing or distribution success without securing base fundamentals such as inventory management. I received a note recently from one of my newsletter subscribers asking if inventory management is dead. He stated that he didn’t think there was a single session on inventory management at APICS 2015 [...]
Though reducing inventory is generally advisable special situations arise when stocking inventory makes good business sense. Certainly reducing inventory on hand is typically preferred as you can accelerate your cash flow. It is one of the key focus areas of my consulting practice. I have found that reducing inventory [...]
Completing a physical inventory is a necessary part of inventory management because accuracy doesn’t just happen, it needs to be achieved. Inventory accuracy is cornerstone to success. It is a bedrock topic to improving service levels, reducing lead times, increasing margins, improving efficiencies, reducing inventory levels….and the list goes [...]
Prepare, prepare, and prepare: 80% of your success is in preparation. Organize the warehouse, clearly mark areas, label exceptions, complete and review system transactions, etc. Stop / isolate movement: When you begin your physical count, stop all physical and system movements and transactions. This is a critical foundation - [...]
A few best practices for reducing inventory levels without negatively impacting customer service include the following: Put the "right" people in the "right" jobs - it is amazing how much this one point contributes to success. Managing inventory levels requires a unique skill set - analysis, seeing the bigger [...]
Do these hypothetical situations sound familiar? Acme Company has a large, priority customer called Wylie Company. Acme must service Wylie flawlessly to maintain the contract, so to ensure stock is always available when Wylie needs it, Acme agrees to a guaranteed safety stock level for Wylie. And, Acme ends [...]
As companies set priorities for 2010 or next year's budget, it is important to understand where to start. So, why should inventory accuracy be a top priority? It's required from an accounting standpoint. Typically speaking, inventory can be a substantial number on your financial statements. What could be more [...]
No matter why a client first calls, one of the challenges or areas of opportunity for significant gain stems back to inventory management. On the other hand, it isn't too surprising as with manufacturers and distributors, a key to operational success is effective inventory management. Beyond that, it can [...]
