Neatly wrapped packages: demand planning, advanced scheduling cut inventories, but do the benefits extend to partners?

摘要

The recent economic slowdown exposed the idea that manufacturers can operate with zero inventories as a myth. When business dipped, well-known companies that had been widely praised for their just-in-time inventory practices were forced to write off huge amounts of goods for which demand seemed to suddenly disappear. Large manufacturers that had been relying on their vendors to manage inventory for them also found that some of those normally reliable suppliers were in danger of going out of business because the cost of holding their customers' inventories had become too much of a burden. Does all this mean that the popular notion about information technology boosting productivity to the point that the economy now runs on fewer inventories is a fallacy as well? No, but it does mean that not all companies have learned how to reduce inventories. For instance, an Ohio State University study of inventory trends in 14 different industries during the 20-year period of 197g to 1999 found that nine industries saw significant inventory reductions while three saw no change at all; and the remaining two actually had inventory growth. A recent U.S. Department of Commerce report notes that overall business inventories have been on a steady decline since 1993, except for an upturn in 2001.