Articles
Inventory Management

What is Inventory? Definition, Types, and Challenges
Effective inventory control and management ensure that companies can meet customer demand efficiently while maintaining optimal inventory levels.
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A Supply Chain With Beauty and Brains
While selling beauty products may seem like a straightforward endeavor, “When you talk about cosmetics, it’s a world of complexity,” says Germán Ricardo Rodríguez Parra, operations strategic planning senior manager, supply chain, for Latin American direct-sales beauty firm Belcorp.
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4 Types of Inventory
Understanding the various types of inventory is crucial for effective inventory management. The four basic types – raw materials, work in progress, finished goods, and MRO inventory – form the foundation of most inventory systems. Managing these efficiently ensures a smooth production process and reduces costs.
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What is Flexible Warehousing? Definition, Benefits, and What to Look For
Flexible warehousing stands at the forefront of modern logistics, offering scalability, cost savings, and operational efficiency. It empowers businesses to swiftly adapt to changing market demands and seasonal fluctuations without the long-term commitments of traditional warehousing.
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Channel Strategy: Definition, Types, and Tips
Businesses can significantly optimize the customer journey for better retention, meet business objectives, and ensure a successful marketing campaign—all by optimizing various marketing channels.
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Next Year? AI is a Retailer’s Lifeline
Retailers faced a broad array of challenges this past year. What will they face next year? Does it really matter?
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Demand Planning vs. Supply Planning: Key Differences and Value
Demand planning vs. supply planning remains a cornerstone debate in the logistics sector. Both concepts are integral to supply chain management, determining many businesses’ efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and overall success. Recent studies indicate that organizations that effectively balance demand planning and supply planning see up to a 15% increase in forecast accuracy and a 35% reduction […]
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Inventory Management: Definition, Types, and Examples
Effective inventory management is the unsung hero of successful business operations, whether in the bustling retail world or in systematic manufacturing processes. It’s a critical component that can dictate a company’s ability to meet customer demand, manage cash flow, and maintain a competitive edge. According to a report by the National Retail Federation, the retail […]
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10 Tips for Boosting Ecommerce Efficiency
There are endless opportunities for smart businesses to capitalize on the growing ecommerce trend. Processing high volumes of small parcels, however, requires flawless operations at every step of the supply chain to ensure maximum profitability.
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Backorder: Meaning, Causes, and How to Limit Them
Understanding what backorders mean, their causes, and how to limit them is essential for businesses and logistics professionals. As supply chain disruptions become more common in today’s global economy, managing backorders effectively can make or break a company’s success. In this article, we explore the ins and outs of back-ordered items to equip businesses with […]
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This Ain’t Your Parents’ Inventory Cycle
Speculation has been mounting that the inventory cycle is back. Profit warnings by major American companies such as GAP, Walmart, and Target that had taken on excess inventories and now needed to run them down raised concerns that a concerted drawdown of stocks could make a likely U.S. recession worse.
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Future-Proof Your Supply Chain
Unpredictable demand has become standard, but there is no reason why it should cause your business to be unaware, unfocused, and unready. Consider these action items to overcome challenges and future-ready your operations during peak seasons.
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Don’t Blame Lean Manufacturing
Lean manufacturing has been blamed for the recent supply chain crisis, with critics claiming lean and just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing encouraged extremely low inventories of raw materials and components. When the pandemic arrived, and supplies were disrupted, manufacturers had to stop production due to material shortages. This had cascading effects all the way down the supply […]
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Embracing the Opportunity in Returns
With the explosive growth of online shopping in recent years, largely fueled by the pandemic, returns are on the rise and have become a logistics headache for retailers, carriers, and consumers. The long-term impacts of this increased demand, and the resulting strain on retailers and supply chains, will largely depend on how retailers respond.
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Operating in Style
After working for several years in the field of styling and fashion, Joelle Desaulniers created the eponymous JOELLE Collection. The Quebec-based company offers unique dresses, sweaters, jumpsuits, and jewelry, among other items, through a thriving online business and a boutique in Trois-Rivieres. Another boutique in Place Ste-Foy is slated to open later in 2023.
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Supply Planning: Definition, Process, and Best Practices
Supply planning is a business management tool that impacts supply, demand, and inventory levels. Retailers use supply chain planning systems to provide projected demand for products and materials needed to support those demands. The process is designed to balance plans for future demand with the availability of goods in inventory. Supply planning helps companies determine […]
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2023 Inventory… Too Much? Too Little?
Inventory. That was the theme unifying both attendees and exhibitors at the 2023 National Retail Federation (NRF) convention in New York City. More precisely, everyone I spoke to was interested in load balancing inventory to serve new retail fulfillment approaches striving to catch up with the blindingly fast evolution in consumer buying habits. For retail […]
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5 Ways Logistics Managers Can Battle Inflation in 2023
With inflation at 40-year highs and a challenging macroeconomic situation, here’s how you can find stability in your operation.
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10 Tips: Matching Inventory To Demand
Demand is a constantly changing variable in any supply chain. Each time the demand tides change, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers must align inventory levels to meet customer expectations. Here are tips for doing it successfully.
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How Macy’s Avoids Inventory Glut
Retailers across the country are struggling with inventory pileup due to 2021’s massive supply chain delays. Unloading these previous-season goods has become a top priority for the upcoming holiday and winter season. But Macy’s is singing a different tune: the retailer managed to avoid most of this inventory glut, and reported to the Wall Street Journal that more than half of its offerings for the holiday season will be new.
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