As customers continue to demand shorter lead times, it becomes imperative for manufacturers and distributors to become more responsive and improve order fulfillment cycle time. I've been working on my book The Amazon Effect lately, and it brings to mind the critical importance of responsiveness. There is no doubt [...]
Collaboration during the planning process is instrumental in creating an effective end-to-end supply chain where everyone gets what they need when they need it. My most successful clients consider collaborative planning a no-brainer. In its simplest form, collaborative planning is partnering with your customers, suppliers and other supply [...]
Systems transactions are often treated as an afterthought but are critical to building a stable foundation for your business. As mundane as system transactions seem, I continually find that whether or not they are deemed a priority can make the difference between a successful operation or not. The bottom [...]
Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) offers companies a chance to partner with customers to better manage inventory and costs. Once the partnership proves fruitful, expanded business opportunities occur. I recently participated as a panelist with Michael DeCata, CEO of Lawson Products, for Industrial Distribution magazine's VMI (vendor managed inventory) webinar. [...]
Several of my clients are in the aerospace industry. In that industry, supply chain readiness audits are commonplace. These are especially prevalent today as growth in that market is substantial. Companies must be prepared for significant growth to support the doubling of the world's fleet in the next 20 [...]
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 [...]
Inventory accuracy depends on so many moving parts. But a top-to-bottom understanding of the process combined with speedy adjustment responses would dramatically improve accuracy, thus, boosting business results. How many times have we heard this? Or, perhaps your inventory resource will keep looking until he/she finds it; however, it [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
