Essay on Cape Chemical Case Written Report Finished

Costco buys the majority of its merchandise directly from manufacturers for shipment either directly to Costco’s selling warehouses or to a consolidation point where various shipments are combined so as to minimize freight and handling costs. As a result, Costco eliminates many of the costs associated with multiple step distribution channels, which include purchasing from distributors as opposed to manufacturers, use of central receiving, storing and distributing warehouses, and storage of merchandise in locations off the sales floors. (1)

Retail super-giant Wal-Mart has fought its way to becoming the world's largest company. Wal-Mart’s legendary supply chain technology has allowed them to break the three-day barrier that some economists in the eighties felt that it was unbreakable. In other words, Wal-Mart is often able to replenish items on the Wal-Mart shelf in less than three days – not from the central warehouse to the shelf, but from the manufacturer to the shelf. With quick and reliable 2-day turn around, Wal-Mart is able to maintain lower levels of inventory and still meet customer demand. These lower inventory levels result in either a reduced floor plan with lower carrying costs and lower interest expense – or a greater diversity of products on the store shelves.

Since Donna Dubinsky and Roy Weaver did not address Mr. Jobs questions regarding the 1985 Distribution Business Plan, he assigned Debi Coleman to develop a new Distribution Strategy Proposal based on the “just-in-time” concept. Ms. Dubinsky was not proactive in presenting her issues and concerns regarding the “just-in-time” concept. It is assumed that she considered the idea not feasible and that it would not gain momentum; however, the exact opposite occurred.

Company is facing a challenge of potentially higher inventory costs. Rising prices may further result in changes in customer behavior and preferences.

As we would expect, Costco’s inventory days are lower than the Industry average. Considering that Debtor Days are 3 times lower than industry average, Costco operates with extreme efficiency, an efficiency hon which its entire structure and functioning rely. The scale and characteristics of Costco’s warehouses and bulk-selling format, feed a machine that produces high sales volumes and operates on rapid inventory turnover,

Delta boutique owner make different approaches for enhancing cash flow of the company. Some of those ways applied are; collecting accounts receivable as possible as in a short period of time, selecting appropriate short term investment,

With this company the inventory management ratios further indicate that there may be an issue with inventory and inventory controls. The inventory turnover ratio is lower than the industry average and the days’ sales in inventory are high. A company wants to turn inventory quickly to reduce storage costs, and

Jones over forecasts his inventory and has a low inventory turnover ratio. This drastically increases his accounts payable, as he isn’t able to pay due to low cash inflow. His account’s payable increased by nearly 9 percent in 2006. Nearly half of his current assets are in inventory. Also Jones isn’t able to take advantage of the cash discounts offered by his suppliers due to his slow cash collection process. In order to perform well, the company must improve its inventory system and its cash collection policies.

The firm’s accounts receivable ratio increased from 68.71 in 2006 to 74.56 in 2010. This means that it is taking Abbott almost six days longer to collect from its customers today than it did five years ago. Furthermore, the firm’s accounts payable days has decreased from 43.72 in 2006 to 38.22 in 2010. This means that Abbott is paying its suppliers 5½ days earlier today than it did in 2006. A change in the inventory ratio from 8.01 in 2006 to 11.03 in 2010 indicates that it is taking the firm longer to sell finished goods than it used to. The increase in the accounts receivable and inventory ratios, combined with a decrease in the accounts payable ratio, indicates poor working capital management and helps to explain why the firm has increased its holdings of cash and short-term investments. To correct this, Abbott’s managers should focus on collecting cash from its customers faster and delaying payments to its suppliers. To maximize its cash position, the firm would be best served by paying its suppliers in the same amount of time as it collects payment from its customers.

Given the cash flow and inventory data, Bodie’s supply has positioned themselves well enough through operations to stay competitive. Minor changes such as decreasing accounts payable days and decreasing inventory days need to be made to make the company more efficient. The purchase of land, building and equipment has paid off with company being highly asset intensive in 2006 and continuing to improve fixed asset turnover.

Even though direct competition has decreased, the tendency of retailers to get their products directly from manufacturers puts the company in a position of relooking its competitive edge as a distributor. The marketplace is shifting from an individuality to supply chain performance – the ability to meet end-customers needs through product availability and responsive and on-time delivery. Supply chain performance crosses both functional lines and company boundaries. Brunswick must change their way to fill customer orders faster and more efficiently than the competition.

Polyethylene is the world’s most widely used plastic. Polyethylene plastic’s principal application was in packaging, from trash bags to milk jugs. It was widely used in the manufacture of everything from trash bags, picnic cutlery and garbage pails, to plastic toys. Polyethylene also replaced glass, wood, and metal in certain applications.

4.) Selected option should lead to a zero working capital policy in the long run.

In 2010, PepsiCo Beverage Company (PBC), a working unit of PepsiCo Inc. (PepsiCo), the second biggest sustenance and refreshment organization on the planet, got the inventory network advancement recompense from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). PepsiCo was given this grant for its creative conveyance procedure, the "Direct to Store Delivery show", that decreased framework wide stock, disposed of stockroom space imperatives, upgraded the potential for boundless SKU development, and conveyed distribution center expense reserve funds. In the wake of indicating tremendous development in the 1990s and early2000s, PBC thought that it was hard to deal with its dispersion focuses and distribution centers.

Soren Chemical produces industrial strength chemicals, cleaning solutions, and chemical solutions for treating water. Since it’s founding in 1942, Soren has operated as a business-to-business company. They have recently introduced Coracle, a pool clarifier aimed at the consumer market. The goal for first year sales is $1.5 million. At 6 months, sales of Coracle are just $111,000.