A Firm Selling And Servicing Agricultural Machinery

During the game, I realized that wide gaps in orders of every role in the supply chain such as factory, distributor and retailer create inventory management challenges. For example, distributor records 0units between week1-week 4 compared to retailer within the same period. The retailer records 3units, 5units, 2units and 2units between weeks 1- week 4. The same applies to factory with 0units from weeks 2-4. Addressing inventory management problems requires developing an average unit level to avoid disappointing customers when demand

Schenck, J., McInerney, J. 1998. Applying vendor-managed inventory to the apparel industry. Automat. I.D. News 14(6) 36-38

The options available for this company involve looking at different inventory models in order to allow this specialist the ability to produce outside high demand windows of opportunity. Initially this company began using the MRP system which enevitably helped to reduce the company’s inventory and at the same time improved their on-time delivery numbers. Currently the process has allowed the Space Age company to maintain a cost of $1.25 per week to store their Gemnini and $1.50 per week to store each of their Saturns that sat in inventory.

Because the product was leaving the warehouse and getting to stores quicker, I was able to reduce the storage space which was an initial problem so the increase of costs because of it decreased. The stores showed a moderate increase in profit.

The first tool to compensate demand fluctuation is building inventory as given in the case text. Quantitative trade-off of this tool is basically the opportunity cost of holding inventory which is given as $8 per unit per month. In addition, keeping products for long time intervals in inventory could lead them to hold outdated products which can be though both quantitative and qualitative trade-off. Considering that these aspects should have been included in the inventory holding cost; no additional modification related to these trade-offs are considered.

John Deere Component Works (JDCW), subdivision of John Deere and Co. was in charged specifically of the manufacturing of tractor component parts. The demand for JDCW’s products had problems due to the collapse of farmland value and commodity prices. Numerous and constant failures in JDCW’s competition for bids, alerted top management to start questioning their current costing methods. As an outcome, the analysis has to be guided to research on the current costing methods with the intention of establishing legitimacy and to help the company in adopting a more appropriate costing system.

• At the maturity stage, the extra cost, although very small, can be a real disadvantage because during this period, the market becomes very competitive and many players enter the same field causing price to drop. Customers also become more price-sensitive. However, the benefit of better forecasting demands significantly helps lower the level of inventory.

Calculating the benefits of vendor managed inventory in a manufacturer-retailer system (Bookbinder, Gumus, & Jewkes, 2010)

Bodie Industrial Supply, Inc is a full service distributor of top line, brand name, new and used certified machine tools, maintenance parts and related equipments for the construction, utility and farming markets. The demand for equipment is relatively cyclical, with Bodies having a slight increase in sales to farming markets in the summer. Bodie’s has seen a huge sales growth increase in 2003-2004 of 72% and 29% in 2004-2005. This is mostly due to an increase in net sales and keeping a constant level of costs of goods sold.

John Deere Component Works (JDCW), subdivision of John Deere and Co. was in charged specifically of the manufacturing of tractor component parts. The demand for JDCW’s products had problems due to the collapse of farmland value and commodity prices. Numerous and constant failures in JDCW’s competition for bids, alerted top management to start questioning their current costing methods. As an outcome, the analysis has to be guided to research on the current costing methods with the intention of establishing legitimacy and to help the company in adopting a more appropriate costing system.

My inventory control procedures provided both increased revenues and cost savings. Quite simply, I ordered adequate levels of products which were in high demand, I was able to better meet customers’ needs, and my revenues increased. The cost savings I experienced as a result of my inventory control procedures were a bit more complex. First, in establishing a routine schedule for ordering, I was able to reap the benefits of lower shipping costs. Because I had a routine schedule, I could

Investing and Financing. Firms must finance inventory, usually with a combination of supplier and bank financing. The risk of inventory obsolescence is somewhat high if the product offerings in a particular season do not sell. Firms tend to rent retail space in shopping malls, so they need to engage in extensive long-term borrowing.

The customers, wholesalers and retailers may order in large quantities with the expectation that they will receive a greater allocation of products that are in short supply. The impact on the supply chain is significant as the forecasted demand is greatly, and unrealistically, increased with these inflated orders. Eventually orders disappear and cancellations pour in, making it impossible for the manufacturer to determine the real demand for its products

Sales: sales volume is based on successful price competition by control of operating expenses (no sales staff employed) and quantity purchases of materials at substantial discounts. One might expect that this would be correlated to a strategy of quick sales with a focus on quantity rather than quality. However, the circulation speed of the inventory is rather slow (2009: 8,350,000/(1,280,000 + 1,670,000/2)= 5,66. 2010: 9,850,000/ (1,670,000 + 2,280,000/2)= 4,99. 2011: 13,280,000/(2,280,000 + 2,920,000/2)= 5,11). Also, the inventory days are higher

Produce more products so there is less restocking issues but not more than the market calls for (supply and demand),