Manufacturing and distributing product to meet customer demand can be like a puzzle unless you start using SIOP as a core process to run your business. SIOP (sales, inventory, & operations planning) taken to the best practice degree is often associated with integrated business planning. In some circles, they [...]
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 [...]
July 24, 2015 I've been working with a client recently on a SIOP (sales, inventory and operations planning) program. We are gaining access to powerful information that will help them hire at the "right" time (not too early - and, more importantly, not too late when considering growth & [...]
Must you compromise quality for speed? Reducing lead time will increase customer satisfaction and avoid the Amazon Effect. My recent research report on the Amazon effect says that 67% of manufacturers and distributors feel customer service gaps when compared to Amazon-like offerings. One of those key areas is lead [...]
Businesses with growth ambitions have to gauge the current capacity of every facet of their facility to plan future productivity. Capacity is a critical element for any business – and especially those interested in growth! A good place to start is to understand your capacity, which can mean different [...]
June 15, 2015 According to a recent KPMG survey on the Global Manufacturing Outlook, executives are thinking about innovation. 81% are altering their business models to to encourage collaboration with customers, suppliers and other partners to "improve the value of their innovation investments". Speed is critical. Thus, a key [...]
Actionable data is only as valuable as the care and attention that goes into data entry. I recently was talking with a key client about the importance of building a foundation for new processes, and it sparked the idea for this article. If there is one common problem my [...]
Before the summer months distract you, review your priorities. Make sure you’re focusing on matters that get you closer to reaching your goals. As we head into summer, it is always good to think about what the most successful executives do to keep the momentum going. What do they [...]
It’s easy to feel lost when you have no direction from customers about their own sales projections. Get a clearer picture through demand planning. 80% of companies are not in front of their demand. How can you decide what to plan for if you don’t know where you are [...]
Bold ideas in employment may be counterintuitive but you have to be willing to fail to win big. I recently attended the Southern California Logistics & Supply Chain Summit hosted by the Center for Supply Chain & Logistics of the Drucker School of Management and the Inland Empire Economic [...]
