by Jon Schreibfeder | Aug 15, 2014 | Warehousing
Last week we received an inquiry asking when it makes sense to set up a regional distribution center rather than having suppliers deliver all products directly to the branch or warehouse that will sell them. Distributing products from a central company location...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Jul 15, 2014 | Forecasting
Last month we introduced the “Record, Report and Evaluate” procedure for obtaining for predictions of how sales or material consumption will change in the future. This month we will continue to explore how we can obtain the most accurate estimates of future demand...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Jun 15, 2014 | Forecasting
An accurate forecast of future demand is a crucial element in properly stocking products. Many computer systems include time-series forecasting models. Some of these tools do a good job of estimating future demand of products, but all have one major problem; they can...
by Jon Schreibfeder | May 15, 2014 | General
The most important element of effective inventory management is to meet or exceed your customers’ expectations of product availability. To achieve this goal, you must depend on your vendors’ ability to reliably replenish your inventory. But your vendors aren’t always...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Apr 15, 2014 | General
Your organization utilizes people, equipment, inventory and other assets to serve customers. Almost every day these three elements work in harmony to generate profits. They may work so well that your management is lulled into a false sense of security. But what if...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Mar 15, 2014 | Forecasting
Many computer systems utilize past usage history when forecasting future demand of products. Seasonal forecast formulas in these systems typically look at what was sold or used in this month (and possibly subsequent months) last year. For example, if you are...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Feb 15, 2014 | Stocking Decisions
Our clients utilize a wide variety of enterprise resource planning (ERP) computer software packages. Most have the potential to maximize the productivity and profitability of an organization’s investment in stock inventory. But occasionally we run into a road...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Jan 15, 2014 | General
There has been a lot of discussion this month on the deficiencies of the ObamaCare website, HealthCare.gov. Its performance doesn’t match the promises made before the site was launched. The results: frustration and a lot of finger pointing. But take a moment and...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Dec 15, 2013 | Stocking Decisions
For the past few months we have been discussing how to identify and dispose of your dead stock and excess inventory. This month we discuss how you can use the internet to help you turn your unwanted material into cash. There are several reasons why you should utilize...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Nov 15, 2013 | Stocking Decisions
Last month we started our discussion of disposing of dead stock and excess inventory. The first step was to identify this unneeded stock. This month we will discuss the actual liquidation process. What can you do with this stuff? Consider these options: Transfer...
