The stocks in a chain of supply Read
Committee of Experts
The companies that wish to keep competitive will have to be highly flexible to answer to a demand of low volume and high mix. This learning focuses to prepare people that develop agile processes with fast deliveries and of consistent quality. In this improvement of the processes, the ‘stocks' develop a fundamental paper.
The only good reason to keep the inventory is that they exist conditions that do that it was less costly to have to it not to have it.
If a provider does not deliver to time, the extra inventory compensates the problem and allows that the operations continue. But also it sends a mistaken signal to the provider, “does not happen at all, my customer has stock for this and is his cost and responsibility, … can happen, … has to protect, etc.” East is the first point that has to to remain clear in the relation, the supply is responsibility of the provider. The inventory is a result and very expensive. The simply unseen inventory the problems. If we delete the inventory and expose the problems, can face up to they. If we do not recognise the problem never will be able to solve it.
Some problems covered by inventory
Between the most common problems that can find us when we delete inventory of a company are: a demand errática of the customers, the realisation of the inaccurate prognoses, low performances of the processes, the undone and reprocesos.
Also can us find with defective received materials refused or delays of providers no reliable. It is also the moment in that no percatamos of the possible deficiencies in our team with a no controlled availability or unknown and of the losses of production concerning the program that had scheduled . Also it will help us to detect fail in the market, as well as the volume of returns of customers, that can be unknown.
All these problems, traditionally have pretended them solve through the production of big batches, with horizons of long forecast and like consequence terms of long delivery.
Consequences of the problems of the inventory
When we find us with that the reality of the company situates on the fact that what elder was the time of greater delivery is the need of a greater inventory and greater costs. What sucede then? The inventory consolidates , the risks are higher, more difficult is to move (on the other hand the demand of our customer is more errática).
If the cost to keep inventory has been considered by the accounting like an element strictly cost euro in base to what paid by her, the errors of obsolescence and unseen quality in the inventory do not contemplate . The cost of the capital inmovilizado, (cost of opportunity) does not put in evidence in the accounting. In this case, it follows treating to resolve the problems with the high inventory. And the increases of prices are only a reason more for the habit (attention with the speculative shopping).
In this case, the only way to reduce the inventory is to reduce the time of delivery. To reduce the time of delivery, the only solution is to reduce the time of cycle of the process. The way to do it is to reduce the time of configuration, use to the maximum the community and the common design with our providers. That is to say, establish the common criteria to define the responsibilities in the cycle of procurement.
Which is the problem with the stock?
The problems that generate with the stock can derive by changes in the market or the technology, all what have is the inventory without value. It requires resources of support of personnel, systems, equipment and operations. They are difficult problems to avoid. We have to be conscious that the ‘stock' depreciates , can find us that no voucher what had paid by him. Even in occasions can be a mechanism of defence that hides the true problems.
Costs of maintenance of the stock
Between 50%-75% of the cost of the ‘stock' by year is due to extraneous causes to the ‘stock' in himself same. If we analyse it, we will see that between 5%-10% is because of the tax of interest of the money; between 2%-5% to taxles; the insurance would represent 2%-3%; the space, location and use of the installations around 5%; and the obsolescence between 7%-10%.
To these costs would have to add them costs no recognised, as personal (between 10%-15%), goods of team (5%-10%), costs of hardware and transactions (3%), secondary costs of quality and re inspection (5%-10%) and the possible damages or additional costs of handle (5%-10%).
By what the decision to have inventory in the company, has to be really analysed and that was not arbitrary.