production or operation. Production control is often run from a specific control room
or operations room.
LEVEL STRATEGY.
A level strategy seeks to produce an aggregate plan that maintains a steady production rate
and/or a steady employment level. In order to satisfy changes in customer demand, the firm must
raise or lower inventory levels in anticipation of increased or decreased levels of forecast
demand. The firm maintains a level workforce and a steady rate of output when demand is
somewhat low. This allows the firm to establish higher inventory levels than are currently
needed. As demand increases, the firm is able to continue a steady production rate/steady
employment level, while allowing the inventory surplus to absorb the increased demand.
A second alternative would be to use a backlog or backorder. A backorder is simply a promise to
deliver the product at a later date when it is more readily available, usually when capacity begins
to catch up with diminishing demand. In essence, the backorder is a device for moving demand
from one period to another, preferably one in which demand is lower, thereby smoothing demand
requirements over time.
A level strategy allows a firm to maintain a constant level of output and still meet demand. This
is desirable from an employee relations standpoint. Negative results of the level strategy would
include the cost of excess inventory, subcontracting or overtime costs, and backorder costs,
which typically are the cost of expediting orders and the loss of customer goodwill.
CHASE STRATEGY.
A chase strategy implies matching demand and capacity period by period. This could result in a
considerable amount of hiring, firing or laying off of employees; insecure and unhappy
employees; increased inventory carrying costs; problems with labor unions; and erratic
utilization of plant and equipment. It also implies a great deal of flexibility on the firm's part. The
major advantage of a chase strategy is that it allows inventory to be held to the lowest level
possible, and for some firms this is a considerable savings. Most firms embracing the just-in-time
production concept utilize a chase strategy approach to aggregate planning.
Most firms find it advantageous to utilize a combination of the level and chase strategy. A
combination strategy (sometimes called a hybrid or mixed strategy) can be found to better meet
organizational goals and policies and achieve lower costs than either of the pure strategies used
independently.
Inventory management uses several methodologies to keep the right amount of goods
on hand to fulfill customer demand and operate profitably. This task is particularly
complex when organizations need to deal with thousands of stockkeeping units
(SKUs) that can span multiple warehouses. The Stock review, which is the simplest
inventory management methodology and is generally more appealing to smaller
businesses. Stock review involves a regular analysis of stock on hand versus projected
future needs. It primarily uses manual effort, although there can be automated stock
review to define a minimum stock level that then enables regular inventory
inspections and reordering of supplies to meet the minimum levels. Stock review can
provide a measure of control over the inventory management process, but it can be
labor-intensive and prone to errors.
ABC analysis methodology, which classifies inventory into three categories that
represent the inventory values and cost significance of the goods. Category A
represents high-value and low-quantity goods, category B represents moderate-
value and moderate-quantity goods, and category C represents low-value and high-
quantity goods. Each category can be managed separately by an inventory
management system, and it's important to know which items are the best sellers in
order to keep quantities of buffer stock on hand. For example, more expensive
category A items may take longer to sell, but they may not need to be kept in large
quantities. One of the advantages of ABC analysis is that it provides better control
over high-value goods, but a disadvantage is that it can require a considerable
amount of resources to continually analyze the inventory levels of all the
categories.
Understanding what you have, where it is in your warehouse, and when stock
is going in and out can help lower costs, speed up fulfillment, and prevent
fraud. Your company may also rely on inventory control systems to assess
your current assets, balance your accounts, and provide financial reporting.
Inventory control is also important to maintaining the right balance of stock in
your warehouses. You don’t want to lose a sale because you didn’t have
enough inventory to fill an order. Constant inventory issues (frequent
backorders, etc.) can drive customers to other suppliers entirely. The bottom
line? When you have control over your inventory, you’re able to provide
better customer service. It will also help you get a better, more real -time
understanding of what’s selling and what isn’t. You also don’t want to have
excess inventory taking up space in your warehouses unnecessarily. Too much
inventory can trigger profit losses––whether a product expires, gets damaged,
or goes out of season. Key to proper inventory control is a deeper
understanding of customer demand for your products.
Just-in-Time System
Definition: The Just-in-Time or JIT is an inventory management system wherein the material,
or the products are produced and acquired just a few hours before they are put to use. The Just-
in-time system is adopted by the firms, to reduce the unnecessary burden of inventory
management, in case the demand is less than the inventory raised.
The objective of Just-in-time is to increase the inventory turnover and reduce the holding cost and
any other costs associated with it. This concept is again popularized by the Japanese firms, who place
an order for the material, the same day the product is to be produced.
Thus, the JIT system eliminates the necessity to carry large inventories and incur huge carrying cost
and other related costs to the manufacturer. To avail the benefits of this method, there should be a
proper synchronization between the delivery of material and the manufacturing cycle. The JIT
requires a proper understanding between the manufacturer and the supplier in terms of the delivery
and the quality of the material. In the case of any misunderstanding, the whole production process
may come to a halt.
The success of just-in-time depends on how you manage your suppliers. A lot of pressure is exerted
on them, as they have to be ready with an adequate quality material to supply it to the manufacturer,
as the need arises.