Barilla's Just-in-Time-Distribution Program - Case Report

distributors would have to submit their Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) so that Barilla can control it.

Minimize risks due to uncertain demand. L.L. Bean would be able to manage ordering process and quantities based on actual demand and adjust more effectively.

Barilla, the leading pasta manufacturer in Italy, faces increasing problems related to demand fluctuation. Their distributors also suffer from high inventory holding costs and low service levels on the other hand. This report explains, why the company and their distributors are troubled with this situation and how Barilla intends to solve it. The problem Barilla experiences is called the “Bullwhip Effect”, i.e. that demand variability increases when moving up the supply chain. Several factors enforce this Bullwhip Effect, e.g. high lead times, poor demand forecasting, and batch ordering. In this report we will point out, that exactly those aspects can be identified as the underlying reasons for Barilla’s problems. In a

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

Looking at the fluctuation in Exhibit 12, one could expect that poor coordination in the supply chain would increase costs. Provide a discussion for the cost of poor coordination in Barilla’s supply chain. Items to consider here include production changeovers or setups, inventory levels, facility utilization, transportation costs, quantity discounts and promotions, canvas periods etc.

One of the underlying causes of the difficulties that the JITD program was created to solve was the effects of inconsistent demand that came from Barilla’s distributors. The extreme demand variation strained Barillas manufacturing and logistics, and made very hard for Barilla to meet that demand. For example, as noted on the case “the specific sequence of pasta production necessitated by the tight heat and humidity specifications in the tunnel kiln made it difficult to quickly produce a particular pasta that had been sold out due

Chabot needs to increase the flexibility in its supply chain. Chabot is an innovative product manufacturer trying to utilize an efficient supply chain. In order to be able to meet demand, the company needs to deploy excess buffer capacity. Lead time is not up to par so Chabot needs to increase its inventory if it plans to meet unpredictable demand. This will also help increase Chabot’s level of

They can operate on a just in time method, when they get a constant understanding of demand. This way they can cut production costs, by only making what they need. They can also predict when they need more inventory to make sure that they never run out of stock for their customers to purchase.

Inventory control is the biggest challenge because of inappropriate inventory management system. There is a requirement of proper food service for better inventory control and also for identifying the important requirements. There is a need to develop the inventory methods for the products and with a standard inventory management company should try to minimize the wastes in terms of future. (Gartenstein, 2012)

A) Short term plan: Direct marketing through website is apt for selling to the 12000customers who

Barilla’s products are divided into Fresh products and Dry products. The demand for these two distinct kinds of products is quite different, and the order, shipment and delivery methods for them are also various.

Because of the way Barilla’s manufacturing process works, demand fluctuations have a significant impact on the company’s operations. Tight heat and humidity specifications in factory tunnel kilns require very specific sequences of pasta production, which means Barilla has limited flexibility in ramping up (or ramping down) the production of pastas experiencing unexpected demand levels. Furthermore, because of extremely high holding costs, it is simply not economically viable for Barilla to maintain substantial finished goods inventories to guarantee fulfilling distributors’ fluctuating order quantities.

The Modern Trade channel in Mexico reached a market share in value terms of 33.1% (Barilla, 2016c). The strategic position of the central American state enabled Barilla to reach one of the most potential countries: Brazil. In this territory Barilla reached a 5% market share, an increase of 1% from last year, and opted for a dedicated packaging layout catching the Brazilian growing interest in the “Made in Italy” food products, especially in Brazilian metropolis (i.e. San Paolo’s market share rose to 19%, a 3% increase from 2014) (Barilla, 2016c).

Just-in-time delivery needs good collaboration with vendors of distribution services and of products. The distributor needs a continuity of demand and the chance to define routes, loads and schedules well ahead. By working toward longer-terms, higher-volume procurements with vendors, prices can be cut due to larger transport volume over a long period of time. Just-in-time delivery will cut down the operating costs if the business is substantial for the distribution partner. Just in time delivery needs more frequent deliveries from vendors however it does not voluntarily imply higher transportation costs.

Starbucks then reorganized their supply chain – developing new cost-effective models, relooking into suppliers and reconsidering expenditures by ingredient instead of purchase price (Cooke, 2010). The supply chain was streamlined into 4 categories: Plan, Source, Make and Deliver, adopting a simplified system where coffee beans were manufactured in the same region where they are sold (Starbucks, 2012b, November 30). This was modeled by existing