How Does Dell Manage Inventory Within Its Supply Chain? Essay

Recognized as one of the leading computer manufacturers, Dell uses an astonishing supply chain through pull-to-order procurement and just-in-time inventory management. Their strategy is highly efficient and drives costs to a minimum while allowing for minimal lead times and production times of under 4 hours for each order as their suppliers maintain levels of inventory based on forecasts within Dell warehouses near Dell assembly

Dell uses a just in time order fulfillment policy and accurate forecasting of sales to minimize inventories. This allowed Dell to hold inventory of finished products far below levels of their competitors (10-20% compared to 50-70% industry level) and furthermore allowed them to quickly implement changes to their product lines as new technologies became available. This quick inventory turnover also allowed Dell to retain more capital. Finally, this policy enabled Dell to respond immediately to technological progress in components and deliver state of the art new finished products (e.g. Pc’s holding the newest Pentium microprocessors) while competitors

Warehouse layouts were changed and its proprietary warehouse software adjusted to help forecast inventory demands The improved inventory model called for inventory to be managed as follows: (1) High demand inventory based on past sales and forecasts is retained at multiple distribution centers (2) Drop shipment where after searching Amazon’s inventory it searches inventory of manufacturer and wholesaler transferring the customer’s order to the wholesaler or manufacturer to complete the customer’s order (3) The third inventory mechanism is to allow vendors and retailers to offer products on Amazon’s website. One of the benefits of this inventory sourcing is that the customer is able to compare prices and make selection about price and delivery options after comparison. Additionally, in tapping into this three prong inventory system, the

Mellat-Parast and Spillan (2014) defines supply chain management as the method of handling material and information moves from the beginning, through the organization, and to the end-user. This is a very important factor of organizational strategy.

Supply-Chain Management is the activities that procure materials and services, and transform them into intermediate goods and final products and deliver them, through a distribution system (Heizer & Render, 2011, p. 452). DELL is a computer technology corporation that develops sells, repairs and supports, computers and computer related products. DELL has realized that supply chain is becoming more and more important for the success of today’s business world and they work accordingly to keep a competitive advantage in the market. This study will examine to what extent Dell has used supply chain management to gain and retain a competitive advantage in the computer market.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) consist of planning organizing, implementing, motivating and controlling efficiently all the of activities involving transportation, processing and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory and finished goods from original suppliers, through warehouses, production facilities, stores and other intermediaries to the final customers in order to satisfy customer requirements and achieve a competitive advantage by adding value to products/ services. (Felea & Albastroiu, 2013)

The Supply Chain Management process is at the very center of all the core operational processes of a company. It plays the role of a central nervous system regulating the product flow by managing the associated information flow that runs through a company. It has very strong linkages with major core processes like product development management, purchasing management and customer relationship management.

Dell has been quite a leader when it comes to manage its inventory and supply chain issues but it faced some challenges too while growing. In this case study two aspects of two Dell have been discussed which Dell faced while growing. The first challenge was Inventory Management while continuously meeting the demands and requirements of its customers and second challenge was how to maintain its customer relation.

Dell’s build-to-order manufacturing strategy is one of the main areas that differentiate it from its competitors in the IT industry. By introducing this strategy Dell were able to keep inventory to a minimum of six to seven days which enabled the company to operate as efficiently as possible and pass on the cost savings they made to the customer.

Dell is able to sustain a competitive advantage over competitors in the computer industry because of an extremely efficient supply chain/distribution system and its JIT inventory system. Since inventory and labor are the highest liabilities of a firm and Dell operates with a few days of inventory, they are able to cut costs on warehousing, hiring people to track and maintain inventory, and avoid holding on to obsolete technology.

Supply Chain Management is the integrations of the flows of products and materials, services, information, and financials through the entire supply pipeline from the supplier’s

Supply chain management plays a very crucial role in the success of any organization and how it can cater to a customer’s need and provide the maximum satisfaction. Supply chain management is essentially managing the flow of goods/services of an organization. It involves raw materials storage, transportation, inventory management, distribution and procurement.

Supply chain management is a main process in all kinds of companies. That’s because an optimized supply chain results in lower costs and a faster production cycle.

Although Dell is an extremely successful company, there are areas of improvement and enhancement that should be considered. After a thorough analysis of Dell¡¯s IT tools, business model, IT infrastructure and competitive advantage, we have developed seven key suggestions. By implementing these recommendations, Dell can keep its high ranking in the competitive computer industry by increasing customer satisfaction, competitive advantage and superior value chain, without changing its principal operations to achieve these goals.

1. Supply-chain management is the management of the activities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and final products, and deliver the products to customers through a distribution system.