Tag Archives: storage

How Many Depots Does Your Business Need?

The large consumer goods company where I used to work as shipping manager had a central warehouse which served customers via distributors in different regions of the country.  My former boss boasted then that the company saved plenty of money from not having depots.  A company that sells laptops & printers utilises a 3rd partyContinue reading “How Many Depots Does Your Business Need?”

Inventory: When It’s More of a Problem Than It is an Asset

Inventory consists of items owned by enterprises and which flow through supply chains.  Items include raw & packaging materials, ingredients, parts, components, assemblies & sub-assemblies, work-in-process, and finished products.  People aren’t inventory nor are equipment or assets which enable the transformation, storage, handling, or conveyance of items. Inventory typically also does not include operating supplies,Continue reading “Inventory: When It’s More of a Problem Than It is an Asset”

Inventory Record Accuracy:  A Step to Supply Chain Improvement

Managers of a large food condiments manufacturer bragged that their finished products Inventory Record Accuracy (IRA) was 99%.  They added that they met this level constantly, not just when I as a consultant was there auditing the manufacturer’s supply chain operations.    How do you compute the IRA?  I asked the warehouse manager.  The warehouse officeContinue reading “Inventory Record Accuracy:  A Step to Supply Chain Improvement”

Why Does It Take So Long?

I looked at the bottom of a dog food can at the pet shop to check its expiration date.  It said “10/26/2026,” but the production date said “10/27/2023.”  I concluded the dog food was safe as I bought the can of dog food on May 25, 2024.  I thought, however: why was the production dateContinue reading “Why Does It Take So Long?”

Comparing Supply Chain Management versus Supply Chain Engineering

What’s the difference between supply chain management (SCM) and supply chain engineering (SCE)?  Supply chain management is the management of people, structures, & systems that underlie the relationships of functions which enable the flow of merchandise & services from their sources to their destinations and users.  SCMs work with existing systems & structures as theyContinue reading “Comparing Supply Chain Management versus Supply Chain Engineering”

Ten (10) Examples Towards Building Better Supply Chains

For years, experts have cited the urgent need for supply chains to adapt and get better.  In 2005, Paul Michelman via the Harvard Business Review wrote: “Threats to your supply chain, and therefore to your company, abound—natural disasters, accidents, and intentional disruptions—their likelihood and consequences heightened by long, global supply chains, ever-shrinking product lifecycles, andContinue reading “Ten (10) Examples Towards Building Better Supply Chains”