• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • About Us
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Parcel & Express
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Robotics
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Customer Relationship Management
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • Green Energy
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Management & Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Warehouse Automation
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • WHITEPAPERS
  • VIDEOS
Home » Logistics » Inventory Is an Asset. Unless It's a Liability. Or Could It Be a Little of Each?

Inventory Is an Asset. Unless It's a Liability. Or Could It Be a Little of Each?

May 21, 2013
MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics

More than 30 supply chain managers from some 19 organizations pondered the issue at a recent MIT CTL roundtable. For many the key is effective change management - changing entrenched views on how inventory should be allocated and dispensed.

These attitudes often stand between you and your inventory management goals. Here is one example.

Functional prejudice. SC professionals frequently run into this one. Finance sees inventory as a drain on working capital, sales wants as much as they can get to please customers, manufacturing is oblivious, and purchasing wants to bulk buy at every opportunity. And senior management doesn't understand the trade-offs between inventory, customer service and cost.

Read Full Article


Keywords: inventory management, inventory systems, inventory control, inventory planning, logistics IT, supply chain management IT, supply chain solutions, logistics & supply chain

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Logistics Logistics Outsourcing Technology Inventory Planning/ Optimization Business Strategy Alignment Global Supply Chain Management Warehouse Management Systems Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    KEYWORDS Business Strategy Alignment Global Supply Chain Management inventory control Inventory Management Inventory Planning Inventory Planning/ Optimization inventory systems Logistics logistics & supply chain logistics IT Logistics Management: Inventory Planning & Optimization Logistics Outsourcing MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics Pharmaceutical/Biotech Supply Chain Analysis & Consulting supply chain management IT supply chain solutions Technology Warehouse Management Systems
    • Related Articles

      Could It Be That Free Trade Is Coming to an End?

      Could It Be 2015 Before Breakbulk, Heavy Lift Cargo Rates Begin to Bounce Back?

      The iPad is an Enterprise Tool You Need. Unless It Isn't.

    • Related Directories

      SnapFulfil

      Tecsys, Inc.

      ProcureAbility

    MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics

    MIT Creates New Supply-Chain Research Center in China

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Featured Product

    Popular Stories

    • Stacks of multi-colored shipping containers arranged in rows at a port, with rows of blue and grey shipping cranes lining the background along the coastline

      Port of Savannah Approved for New 3.5M TEU Terminal

      Global Gateways
    • An overhead view of a port, with stacks of containers and vehicles moving through rows

      Podcast | AI in Supply Chain Planning: Impact, Promise and Limits

      Artificial Intelligence
    • SCB_Q426_SAP_FSR_THUMB_2.jpg

      An AI Playbook for Your Journey to Autonomous Planning

      Global Logistics
    • On Demand Webinar Locus Robotics Thu Oct 15 2026 11a ET.png

      Designing for Uncertainty: A Flexibility-First Approach to Warehouse Automation

      Webinars
    • A row of semi-truck cabs, with a red truck in the foreground, parked next to four white trucks, two more red ones, and three blue ones

      USDOT Announces $200M in Funding for Commercial Truck Parking

      Logistics

    Digital Edition

    Scb q3 26 cover

    100 Great Supply Chain Partners 2026: The Secret to Supply Chain Success

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

    • A GRAPHIC SHOWING MULTIPLE FORMS OF SHIPPING, WITH A HUMAN STANDING AT THE CENTER, TOUCHING A SYMBOLIC MAP OF THE WORLD

      Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

    • A GRAPHIC OF INTERLACING HONEYCOMBED ELEMENTS REPRESENTING GLOBAL BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS

      Moving Robots Site-to-Site

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    Visit Our Sponsors

    4flow Amazon Freight Anaplan
    Arkieva AutoStore Blue Yonder
    Canadian National Railway Company Carton Cloud CoEnterprise
    Dassault Descartes Dexory
    Duravant E2Open EPG
    General Logistics Systems GEP Hy-Tek
    iGPS Knapp Korber
    Lyngsoe Odyssey Logistics OMP
    PeakAI Procurability Quinyx
    SAP Sikick Staples
    S&P Global Mobility Systech TADA
    Tive TransImpact US Bank
    Werner WSI
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Email Preferences
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • 2026 Event Coverage
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2026 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing