Inventory Management – OM in the News

Use of RFID Tags Expand

RFID tags are increasingly being used throughout the supply chain to track material. Individual item-level tracking is now possible with RFID tags, allowing more detailed tracking information.

Walmart has just expanded its use of RFID tags in stores to track inventory. In 2019, Walmart required suppliers of apparel, footwear, sunglasses, and watches to place RFID tags on these items. Now in 2022, Walmart has added wireless devices, consumer electronics, and home goods to the list. The primary reason is tracking inventory, […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2022-03-17T06:26:51+00:00March 17, 2022|Tags: counterfeit products, fraud, inventory management, RFID, supply chain management|

Time for a New Just-In-Time in the Auto Industry

Is Just-In-Time (JIT) going away?

Increased uncertainty and shortages have challenged the belief that JIT production systems are mistake-proof. The auto industry has widely and thoroughly embraced the systems for several decades. However, recent events have highlighted their limitations and the need to make them more resilient. This new imperative is consistent with the lean philosophy of continuous improvement.

Video Spotlight: Canada Trucker Protests Impacting U.S. Manufacturing (February 10, 2022, NBC News)

This post is based on the […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-03-09T21:36:01+00:00March 10, 2022|Tags: continuous replenishment, flexible-manufacturing, insourcing, inventory management, JIT, lead time, product design, safety stock, shortage|

Tupperware Faces the Bullwhip Effect

The demand for companies like Tupperware has risen and fallen with the peaks of the pandemic.

Early in the pandemic, demand for plastic food storage containers increased, leaving shelves empty. As restrictions ease, fewer people eat in, leaving Tupperware with excess inventory. Besides taking downtime at selected factories, Tupperware is working to add more omnichannel options, to sell through its inventory backlog.

Shortages of raw material, increased raw material prices, and the unpredictable nature of pandemic-related restrictions, are factors which have made […]

By Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.|2022-01-25T17:04:55+00:00January 25, 2022|Tags: aggregate planning, backlog, bullwhip effect, chase demand strategy, forecasting, pandemic, shortage, supply chain management|

Power Crunch in China Affects Apple, Tesla, and More

Chinese factories for Apple and Tesla had to suspend operations for several days in late summer and early fall of 2021, to ease China’s growing power shortages and to cut emissions.

The rising demand for electricity, the surging coal and gas prices, and the desire to cut emissions has created an ongoing power crunch situation in China. The suspended production of Chinese factories has driven Apple and Tesla to look elsewhere for the needed supplies of printed circuit boards, chip packaging […]

By Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.|2022-01-08T02:09:30+00:00January 12, 2022|Tags: global supply chain management, sourcing, stockouts, supply chain risk|