Inventory management is an ongoing process (as opposed to a project which has a beginning and an end) of monitoring the constant flow of stock keeping units (SKUs) into and out of supply. The goal is to prevent the inventory from becoming too high (cost), or so low that the operations of the company are in jeopardy (service levels.) (Barcodes, 2011)
Elemental management of inventory requires balancing the three key aspects of stock control: lead time, buffer stock and record keeping.
Lead Time
An inventory manager needs to know how long it takes for a vendor to process an order and make a delivery of goods. he/she also needs to understand how long it will take for those materials to transfer out of inventory in the normal course of business flow. With these two time frames determined, the manager can calculate when to place an order and how many units to order to keep production running smoothly. (Barcodes, 2011)
Buffer Stock
Buffer stock is the maintenance of a few additional units above the minimum number required for normal production flow. This cushion serves to minimize the probability of interrupted production due to a lack of essential parts at various stages of production. Maintaining buffer stock for raw materials, work in progress, and finished goods inventory helps keep the production lines flowing. (Barcodes, 2011)
Record Keeping
A well-run manufacturing enterprise will keep accurate records of inventory at all stages of production for control and tax reporting purposes. From an operational standpoint, the most important of these is the accurate maintenance of the finished goods inventory which facilitates informing sales personnel of available merchandise ready to ship to customers. On a basic level, this requires posting the production of newly completed goods to the inventory totals as well as subtracting the most recent shipments of finished goods to buyers. From these basic concepts, the inventory management craft has developed into a highly complex process. (Barcodes, 2011)
Recent Developments
Two recent trends in advanced inventory management are "demand planning" and "inventory optimization." Both of these techniques require sophisticated software and careful implementation to achieve the desired results. Practitioners are attempting to get as close as possible to the mythical "just in time" for the work-in-process...
Business -- Inventory Management Both Hewlett-Packard, Inc. and Dell, Inc. manufacture electronics, managing inventories of purchased parts, fabricated assemblies and finished goods. Manufacturers such as HP, Inc. and Dell, Inc. must work effectively with their "Capacity Management" and in doing so, have arrived at four main layouts. In addition, supply chain is measured by various metrics, to improve overall performance and profitability. While Dell currently outperforms Hewlett-Packard in inventory management, there
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