by Jon Schreibfeder | Dec 16, 2016 | Forecasting
Most organizations are continually buying new products. Unfortunately, part of the quantity of many of these items is “D.O.A.” or dead on arrival. That is, you do not sell the entire initial purchase quantity. For example, you might buy a case of 48 pieces of an...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Aug 15, 2016 | Forecasting
Often the best sources of this information are your customers. Indeed, the term “collaborative forecast” refers to a cooperative effort between you and your customers to derive an accurate demand forecast. But, we have found that collaborative information from many...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Jul 15, 2016 | Forecasting, Stocking Decisions
Most computer systems forecast future demand of products based on past usage history. These systems assume that what you sold or used in the past is a good indication of what you will sell or use in the future. But this isn’t always true. For example: ...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Apr 15, 2016 | Forecasting, Stocking Decisions
This month we will begin to examine the last of the parameters used to determine when to reorder a product, the order cycle (also known as the review cycle). The order cycle is the normal time between issuing replenishment orders with a supplier that meet that...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Mar 16, 2016 | Analysis, Forecasting
Over the last several months, we have been discussing various ways of calculating safety stock quantities. If safety stock quantities are too low, they will not provide adequate insurance to prevent stockouts in case of unusually high demand or delays in receiving a...
by Jon Schreibfeder | Feb 15, 2016 | Forecasting, Stocking Decisions
Last month we began our discussion of safety stock. Safety stock is “insurance” inventory you maintain for a product to prevent stockouts due to unexpected demand or delays in receiving a replenishment shipment. Most systems calculate safety stock quantities based on...