Understanding inventory its costs, its place in the supply chain, and what is considered its optimal level is important to an organization‘s profitability. Demonstrating how each link in the supply chain plays an integral role in the success of the whole, Rightsizing Inventory examines inventory throughout the entire internal and external su

Ever since the recession hit, “downsizing” has been the corporate mantra. Cut overhead, increase profitability, and the future will take care of itself. Most pundits agree that this is a shortsighted approach, especially in a volatile economy. While cutting overhead increases quarterly profit in the short term, it weakens an organization for the longterm. As result, “rightsizing” has become the new tool remain profitable and competitive. It forces the organization to reevaluate its goals, its market position both past and present, and where it wants to be in the future. This results in constructive measures that underscore the strengths of the organization to meet its goals for the future. Rightsizing Your Business, written by noted management expert, Bill Welter, is the first book either in e-format or print that clearly and concisely explains this important shift in management strategy and shows any business to proceed with effective rightsizing.

Use demand driven optimized inventory and replenishment to overcome your supply chain weaknesses, and deliver business-maximizing results Reviewing the fundamentals of inventory optimization so that you can attain a demand-driven supply, Demand-Driven Inventory Optimization and Replenishment provides a business look at why present inventory systems sub-optimize the supply chain and faulty replenishment processes lead to wasted time and effort. Straightforward and clearly written, this book allows readers to come away with a good understanding of why optimized inventory and replenishment helps overcome in-system weaknesses and deliver results. Discusses how multi-echelon inventory optimization and replenishment enables installed systems to go from a sequential, "islands of efficiency" approach to a systematic distribution system working as a complete network Provides case studies throughout Reveals how optimized inventory and replenishment delivers results across industry verticals With a historical view of the three major supply chain efforts of the last thirty years, this book discusses mathematical shortcuts set up in the transitional and supply chain management systems that make it very difficult for companies to attain supply chain excellence.

Looking beyond the complexity and theory of inventory management, authors Geoff Relph and Catherine Milner examine managing inventory and achieving targets. Whilst the first edition mainly focused on planning, this new edition of The Inventory Toolkit includes three new chapters that go beyond planning to implementation. Amongst other topics, the new chapters cover holding and moving inventory, working with suppliers and using stack and flow to identify pinch points and facilitate lean and agile operations. This comprehensive second edition of The Inventory Toolkit includes case studies from diverse industries such as retail and aerospace, and worked examples and regular exercises which illustrate how the inventory tools can be used in an operational setting. It is an invaluable reference guide for students and practitioners focusing on inventory management and operations management in manufacturing and retail, as well as operational staff involved in the implementation of the MRP and inventory management modules of ERP systems.

Using a clear, organized, and accessible building block approach to managing inventory, this volume offers complete coverage of the basic concepts, calculations, and techniques of inventory. These fundamental techniques, which can be easily applied to handle problems in the workplace, are used to demonstrate current concepts such as lean principles and continuous improvement. Numerous case studies from a variety of industries are provided to illustrate concepts. Additional topics presented include types of inventory, inventory transactions, bills of materials, planning and replenishment, storage and physical control, and supply chain management and technology.

For more than 40 years, Computerworld has been the leading source of technology news and information for IT influencers worldwide. Computerworld's award-winning Web site (Computerworld.com), twice-monthly publication, focused conference series and custom research form the hub of the world's largest global IT media network.

Honored with many accolades, including a starred review in Library Journal, the first edition of this book demonstrated the power and flexibility of “rightsizing,” an approach that applies a scalable, rule-based strategy to help academic libraries balance stewardship of spaces and the collection. In the five years since Ward’s first edition, the shared print infrastructure has grown in leaps and bounds, as has coordination among programs. With this revision, Miller addresses new options as well as the increasing urgency to protect at-risk titles as you reduce your physical collection. Readers will feel confident rightsizing their institution’s own collections with this book’s expert guidance on the concept of rightsizing, a strategic and largely automated approach that uses continuous assessment to identify the no- and low-use materials in the collection, and its five core elements; crafting a rightsizing plan, from developing withdrawal criteria and creating discard lists to managing workflow and disposing of withdrawn materials, using a project-management focus; moving toward a “facilitated collection” with a mix of local, external, and collaborative services; six discussion areas for decisions on participating in a shared print program; factors in choosing a collection decision support tool; relationships with stakeholders; how to handle print resources after your library licenses perpetual access rights to the electronic equivalent; and future directions for rightsizing

The Practical, Easy-to-Use Guide to Lean Sigma Problem-Solving Lean Sigma delivers results–if you use the right tools and techniques. In Lean Sigma: A Practitioner’s Guide, Dr. Ian Wedgwood captures best-practice Lean Sigma experience from multiple projects and industries, helping any professional identify the solution that will work best–and implement it. Wedgwood’s exclusive "project roadmaps" present the fastest, most effective route to solving a wide range of problems–and explain why those solutions make sense. His "discovery roadmaps" help you identify potential Lean Sigma projects, even in processes where there are no obvious targets. Whether you’re a Green Belt, Black Belt, Master, Project Champion, Sponsor, Deployment Leader, or consultant, this book will help you use Lean Sigma to solve far more problems, far more rapidly, and far more effectively.

This book provides a practical reference of tools, methods, and concepts that enable a reader to understand Lean Six Sigma concepts to improve his or her process using Kaizen events. It presents a simple reference to plan and conduct Kaizen events in service systems and office environments.