The Principals at TriPoint Interactive have the in-depth knowledge of real world problems and opportunities that can only come from working in virtually every area that touches inventory; including inventory systems implementation projects, sales forecasting, Inventory and Operations Planning or SIOP (also known as supply/demand planning ), production planning and Material Requirements planning processes. We understand the difficulties of combining Finance, Marketing, Sales, Sourcing, Manufacturing and Logistics decisions to balance cost, inventory, service level and return on working capital. We also understand that proper inventory control processes are important to ensure planning decisions are based on correct information.
Our 3PI™ methodology encourages inclusion of people and process considerations with knowledge of Advanced Planning Systems and customer/supplier collaboration technology to develop the best possible planning and control solutions.
Services:
- Inventory Planning and Control assessments and comparison to Best Practices
- Planning and Control process mapping and re-engineering recommendations
- Planning and Control System requirements definition, vendor evaluation, selection and implementation
Case Studies:
For a high tech manufacturer, we combined a review of their first implementation of:
- Vendor Managed Inventory,
- “Ahead of line” warehouse outsourcing, and
- Supplier visibility and collaboration software.
Our review uncovered major issues in the training of people in the Purchasing organization, issues with the visibility software and the operations of the third party logistics provider. Inventory control issues caused by inadequate understanding of the new processes opened gaps in the proper recording of inventory conversion at various steps in the process. Because the issues were highlighted at startup, our client was able to fix these issues and proceed with a successful launch of the project.
For a Canadian client, TriPoint Interactive analyzed the inventory turns for a highly seasonal distribution business to help identify when product should be returned to suppliers, when it should be discounted and what rules should be put in place to identify and sell-off discontinued and obsolete inventories. The results were a significant cost reduction and “clean up” of the balance sheet.
In another case, we developed a Popularity Analysis of a client’s product assortment, mainly to support slotting decisions at their main distribution center. Our analysis also discovered confusion over SKUs in the receiving process led to inventory recording errors. The analysis formed the basis for a inventory rationalization and service level improvement project within Procurement and warehouse operations; we created new process documentation and conducted training sessions that corrected the root cause of the errors.
For a large office equipment manufacturer, we implemented a new multi-echelon material planning system for service parts that forecast requirements and optimized stocking levels at the national and regional distribution centers.