VMI (vendor managed inventory) is the process where the supplier manages the customer's inventory so that the customer has the "right" item in the "right" place at the "right" time to ensure high service levels, efficient and productive operations, and the least amount of inventory tied up unnecessarily. The best VMI programs ensure that the end-to-end supply chain gains with both the supplier and the customer achieving improved results or benefits.
How do you plan for demand when every order is custom? In this episode of Supply Chain Chats, Lisa Anderson sits down with Diane Garcia, LMA Senior Associate, to break down Demand Planning for Custom Manufacturing.
Consumer spending is on the rise, and it’s affecting supply chains. In this Supply Chain Byte, Lisa Anderson highlights the key factors—like logistics—you need to consider to stay prepared and keep your supply chain agile.
Industrial manufacturers are experiencing slumps across the board. The good news is that customers are not canceling orders; however, they are delaying BIG TIME.
There is such a wide range of shocks that can happen to your supply chain and to the demand for what you’re making. Can you ever truly prepare? What kinds of projections are most useful, and how can you set yourself up for success if you do have the ability to anticipate a surge in demand?
Lisa Anderson, a supply chain expert and consultant who founded LMA Consulting Group, says projecting future demand is paramount when facing a demand surge.
Sales strategies and customer programs are pivotal to developing a demand plan in support of sales revenue growth goals. SIOP (Sales Inventory Operations Planning) will translate these sales forecasts into operations and supply plans for review with cross-functional teams to ensure the sales plans are fulfilled successfully and efficiently.
Clients are struggling to keep up with customer's changing requests. Order backlogs remain relatively high (depending on the industry), but customers are pushing orders out at the last minute, pulling orders in without notice, adding future potential orders, and changing requirements on the fly. Production is scrambling to keep up.
The world has never experienced a labor shortage quite like the one we are experiencing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment growth will average .3 over the next decade; however, labor participation will drop from 62.2% to 60.4%.
Lisa Anderson of LMA Consulting Group was quoted in a Harvard Business Review report about supply chain volatility and uncertainty that are part of the new normal.
