Since the pandemic, it has been a constant battle to ensure material availability, let alone to proactively manage cost and service. Even the most proactive and successful clients have experienced brief shortages of key materials and extended lead-times. The rest have been plagued with these issues.
Because we live in a global, supply chain disrupted world amidst record-breaking prices for food, commodities and oil (and all products dependent on these industries), not only are businesses looking to navigate inflationary pressures, but also deflationary pressures. Inflation can lead to deflation as consumers panic and demand softens.
"Our most successful clients are not hiding under a rock and maintaining status quo during these inflationary times," points out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc. and manufacturing expert known for creating supply chain resiliency."
Proactive planning can help manufacturers prepare for growth even amid continued supply chain disruptions. Lisa Anderson discusses why capacity planning, what-if scenarios, and strong planning processes are essential to assess capabilities, support additional sales, and achieve profitable, scalable growth.
Inflation and supply chain volatility are putting pressure on demand, capacity, costs, and profitability. Lisa Anderson explains how SIOP and S&OP can help manufacturers align demand and supply, prioritize customers and products, manage capacity and inventory, and build resilience as conditions change.
Lisa Anderson, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Expert and President of LMA Consulting Group, talks about the coming months and keeping an eye on cash balance."Proactively managing cashflow is critical right now".
Inflation has taken root. Businesses everywhere are dealing with annualized cost increases of nearly seven percent--the fastest pace in 40 years and significantly higher than the 1.8 percent average of the past decade. The resulting upticks in operating costs can cause serious damage to the bottom line.
If there is one thing in common with every client (big or small) in the current business environment which is characterized by significant volatility and uncertainty, it is the increased level of complexity of supply chains. As the old saying goes, you are only as strong as your weakest link in your supply chain!
Every client wants to support growth goals while improving service levels (OTIF, on-time-in-full), operational efficiencies and inventory turns. These are timeless objectives for every planner. During the pandemic, the priorities shifted to service levels because clients struggled to keep up with dramatic increases in demand and extreme volatility.
We have gone global and live in an interconnected world, therefore events around the world disrupt the global supply chain and impact local customers. Whether its the shutdowns in Shanghai due to the pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, concerns about port delays due to the upcoming union negotiations at the [...]
