TRADE-OFF

摘要

In the second of a series of data-focused articles, Kirsten Tisdale explains that logistics and the supply chain are all about trade-offs, but you have to make sure you're not just robbing Peter to pay Paul. At the end of my last article I talked about the importance of going where the data takes you, letting the facts and figures guide your decision rather than following the crowd, and this first example is a case in point. It's about a company that decided that it would start 'pre-retailing' clothing before it went into stores. For those who don't work in clothing logistics, pre-retailing is about all the processing that may need to be done before a garment can go on sale, things like adding swing tickets and barcodes, or getting rid of cardboard and other materials that are just going to end up as rubbish. The idea is that by spending money in the warehouse, you can save space, time and money getting the merchandise on display in store. And it can also facilitate replenishment of single items rather than in whole packs, including for e-commerce - although not in this particular case.