Inventory quick response

For retailers (e.g., Amazon), leadtime performance is purely determined by the structure and execution of inventory and distribution policies. But for firms that also manufacture or assemble products (e.g., Dell), the production function is also a driver of performance. Of course, all of the usual methods for achieving manufacturing efficiency (lean, agile, cellular manufacturing, etc.) are relevant to e-commerce settings. As we have noted above, modular product architectures and assemble-to-order production systems are particularly well-adapted to supporting quick-response manufacturing with which to support an e-commerce system. Since the issues of speed, variety, quality and flexibility were clearly priorities prior to the advent of e-commerce, research that addresses these remains relevant but has not been radically affected by the Internet. 

Johnson, M.E., and B. Scudder. 1999. Supporting Quick Response Through Scheduling of Make-to-Stock Production/Inventory Systems. Decision Sciences 30(2), 441-467. 

The RCIC system maintains sufficient water in the reactor pressure vessel to cool the core and then maintains the nuclear boiler in the standby condition in the event the vessel becomes isolated from fhe furbine steam condenser and from feedwater makeup flow. The system also allows for complete plant shutdown under conditions of loss of the normal feedwater system by maintaining the necessary reactor water inventory until the reactor vessel is depressurized, allowing the operation of the shutdown cooling function of the RHR system. The system delivers rated flow within 30 s after initiation. A water leg pump keeps the piping between the pump and the discharge shutoff valve full of water to ensure quick response and to eliminate potential hydraulic damage on system initiation. 

Choice of distribution charuiels. Values these decisions assume include Internet-based distribution, third-party logistics, direct sales, quick response, continuous replenishment, and vendor-managed inventory. Some of the policies may be represented in relation to the horizontal extent dimension. For instance, the direct shipment policy implies the absence of intermediate distribution tiers. Multiple distribution strategies can be used in a single supply chain... 

If it is decided not to integrate the ERP systems of the individual supply chain partners, quick response (QR) is a commonly applied cooperation method (Sahin and Robinson 2002). This method is based on a reduction of the replenishment lead times, enabling the retailer to hold smaller stocks and refill inventory faster. 

In a simple quick response strategy, suppliers receive POS data from retailers and use this information to synchronize their production and inventory activities with actual sales at the retailers. In this strategy the retailer still prepares individual orders, but the POS data is used by the supplier to improve delivery performance and hence reduce supply variability. 

In a simple quick response strategy, supphers receive POS data from retailers and use this information to synchronize their production and inventory activities... 

Quick response systems have begun to emerge in the fashion and apparel industry where the costs of fradifional inventory-based systems based upon buyers prior purchase decisions (in effect a push system) can be considerable. In the United States it is estimated that the annual costs to the US textile and apparel industry of conventional logistics systems is 25 billion. This comprises the following elemenfs ... 

Zara created a unique set of interlocking capabilities to support its strategy of quick response. These capabilities are shown in blue boxes in Fig. 1.7. They defined quick response as satisfying customer s needs quickly with an existing or a new product. This permitted reduction in inventories of existing products, but required them to keep introducing a stream of fashion-sensitive new products rapidly. They... 

The order replenishment cycle concerns the time taken to replenish what has been sold. Lean thinking seeks to manage the order replenishment cycle by replacing only what has been sold within rapid replenishment lead times. These points are taken up in the next two sections of this chapter, on vendor-managed inventory and on quick response. 

To be effective, the inventory must be isolated quickly to prevent its total contents from being released. Since total release may occur within a few minutes, rapid response and operation is important. 

Under FCC regeneration conditions, the zeolite is quickly deactivated and, at the same time, its unit cell size is modified. The commercial FCC unit has a catalyst inventory made up of a mixture of particles of different ages. The newer particles contribute most of the activity to convert the gas oil. A part of the catalyst inventory has a low zeolite activity, and, notwithstanding, it has a substantial activity in the matrix, because the matrix is more stable than the zeolite. The oldest fraction is responsible for providing the activity to crack the heavy fraction of the feed. It is imperative to pay special attention to the design of the matrix and specifically to its pore size distribution, surface area, activity and stability. 

Who in your organization is responsible for ensuring that the entire performanceprocess is planned to befree ofbottlenecks so that at least your orders and inventory pass as quickly as possible and on time through your enterprise ... 

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