All Posts in the Category "Customer Service"...
Measuring Inventory
February 2012.
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers.
Dave’s Fabrication Company (DFC) has $2 million in inventory on-hand. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? It could be vital to the business or it could be a tremendous drain on resources. It could be exceptionally good, given the size of the business and typical position in my industry (competitor inventory levels) or it could be a disaster.
Physical Inventory
January 2012.
Sadly, many companies are going through the annual physical inventory process at this time of year, wasting the company’s money and resources while providing no real value to the business or its customers. Why do they do it? Two reasons: (1) the accountants and auditors insist and (2) there is little confidence in the inventory records because of questionable processes and controls .
Logistics, supply-chain mastery play key roles in achieving success
Two of the largest and most successful companies in the world achieved and maintain their success by mastering the supply chain. Wal-Mart took logistics to new heights, bringing big city, low prices and convenience to rural areas. Apple dominates its chosen markets through innovation but also benefits greatly from a single-minded focus on operational excellence.
December Schedules
December 2011.
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers.
December is often a rather strange month in the life of the manufacturing plant. There may be some seasonal demand effects to deal with (lower actual demand and lower production objectives in many cases) and there are often schedule reductions to be accommodated due to holiday shut-downs and the policy in many companies of encouraging employees to use vacation time before the end of the year.
Thank you Netflix and BofA
November 2011.
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers.
Goodwill is a valuable and amazingly fragile commodity, as dramatically demonstrated recently by Netflix and Bank of America. Both companies made changes that enraged customers and caused many of them to take their business elsewhere.
Distinguish Yourself as a Supply Chain Expert
Five week APICS CSCP study program: January 28 – February 25, 2012.
With the APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) program, you can take your career and organization in a new and exciting direction.
Don’t Fly Blind
Don’t Fly Blind.
Although many company leaders have contingency plans for their information technology infrastructure, few professionals give the same consideration to safeguarding their supply chains.
Football Season
September 2011.
Advice and Assistance for Manufacturers.
Football season is here and once again I am reminded of one of the most overused but still valid sports
metaphors around . . .
Businesses need to find that ‘competitive edge’
Every successful company brings some kind of competitive edge to the marketplace. This is the factor that entices customers to buy from you rather than from someone else.
Out of sight. Out of Mind.
May 2011 Market Analysis & Communications for the Manufacturing Industry There’s a classic story – maybe true, maybe not – about the head of the Wrigley Gum company in the 1920s. At that time, Wrigley was a major consumer goods
