Planning is extremely important when it comes to inventory resources. The lack of planning can be costly to the firm either because of the carrying and financing costs of excess inventory or the lost sales from inadequate inventory. The inventory requirements to support production and marketing should be incorporated into the firm’s planning process in an orderly fashion. The production side: Every product is made up of a specified list of components. The planner must realize the different mix of components in each finished product. Each item maintained in inventory will have a cost. This cost may be based on volume purchases, lead time for an order, historical agreements or other factors. Each component can be assigned a value. Once the mix is known and each component has been assigned a value, the planner can calculate the materials cost. The marketing side: The second step in inventory planning involves a Continue reading
Logistics Management
3 Important Categories of Logistics
Logistics is the process of accurately interpreting customer requirements or orders or marketing strategy, as also providing manufacturing operations support, with precise execution of the process of reaching the product material from the point of origin to the point of requirement consumption ensuring suitable care of the product material throughout to avoid damage deterioration, continuously ensuring the lowest possible cost throughout the process. Logistics is concerned with getting products and services where they are needed when they are desired. The responsibility of logistics is the temporal and spatial positioning of raw materials, work in progress, and finished inventories when and where required. Integrated logistics support, when properly understood and applied, can provide the means to identify and resolve many logistic problems, frequently before they developed. Logistics, in the broadest sense of the word, can be considered as scope of activity comprised of three major areas or subsets. Subsistence logistics, Operation Continue reading
Concept of Export Packing
The aim of every exporter must be to ensure that the goods arrive safely in the hands of the consumer. The fact that the goods are fully insured is in excuse for not bothering to check whether damage or pilferage occurs during the transit. Whilst the payment of the insurance claim may satisfy the buyer financially, it will not satisfy him mentally. The buyer orders the goods because he can sell them, before the vessel arrives. If he receives only a part of what he has handed in a salable condition, he will probably lose the goodwill of his customers and, in consequences, will blame the exporter. Distinction Between Packing and Packaging There is distinction between the terms export packing and packaging. Packaging refers to the job of providing specialized containers for the packing of goods. Packing is used for the general operation of putting goods into containers for shipment Continue reading
Importance of Logistics in Business
The importance of logistics systems lies in the fact that it leads to ultimate consummation of the sales contract. The buyer is not interested in the promises of the seller that he can supply goods at competitive price but that he actually does so. Delivery according to the contract is essential to fulfilling the commercial and legal requirements. In the event of failure to comply with the stipulated supply of period, the seller may not only get his sale amount back, but may also be legally penalized, if the sales contract so specifies. There is no doubt that better delivery schedule is a good promotional strategy when buyers are reluctant to invest in warehousing and keeping higher level of inventories. Similarly, better and/or timely delivery helps in getting repeat orders through creation of goodwill for the supplier. Thus, as effective logistics system contributes immensely to the achievements of the business Continue reading