• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile

  • CORONAVIRUS
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • 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
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • 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
  • REGIONS
    • Asia Pacific
    • Canada
    • China
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East/Africa
    • North America
  • THINK TANK
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Podcast | Inventory Is ‘Evil’? Not So Fast
THE SCB PODCAST

Podcast | Inventory Is ‘Evil’? Not So Fast

Inventory
Source: Bloomberg
September 13, 2019
Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

It was Apple CEO Tim Cook who called inventory “fundamentally evil.” But a lot of manufacturers and retailers don’t seem to agree with him.

Cook is widely known as a master of supply chain, so his admonition against inventory as a drag on profits should be taken seriously. Over the years, in fact, we’ve seen multiple management concepts pop up that are intended to minimize inventory: Just-in-time. Build-to-order. Lean operations. So why have inventory levels been on a decade-long rise? That’s the conclusion of a report by Transport Intelligence Ltd. (Ti) on inventory trends, based on data from the financial reports of 187 manufacturers and retailers around the world. It shows that companies in 2017 were holding 10 more days of stock than in 2008. On this episode, we discuss the factors that are driving an increase in inventory levels, with John Manners-Bell, professor and chief executive of Ti. We hear about the influence of Amazon, the work of Walmart, the impact of technology and a newfound awareness of supply-chain risk. The big question: are JIT and Lean dead? Hosted by Bob Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of SupplyChainBrain.

Look for a new episode of the podcast, which can be downloaded or streamed, every Friday on the SupplyChainBrain website and Apple Podcasts.

Show notes:

Ti’s report: Inventory Benchmarking Vertical Sector Trends.

  • Listen: Inventory Is ‘Evil’? Not So Fast

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Technology Inventory Planning/ Optimization SC Planning & Optimization Supply Chain Visibility Business Strategy Alignment Quality & Metrics
KEYWORDS Business Strategy Alignment Inventory Planning & Optimization Quality & Metrics SC Planning & Optimization Supply Chain Visibility
  • Related Articles

    Is Manufacturing Bouncing Back to Normal? Not So Fast.

    Not So FAST: What the New Transportation Funding Bill Lacks

    A Gold Star for Working-Capital Improvement? Not So Fast.

  • Related Events

    Optimized Supply Chain Planning with SAP IBP at Lennox International

Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

Crafting a New Transportation Bill: The Battle Begins

More from this author

Wake up to Coronavirus Updates and the latest Supply Chain News!

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • Coronavirus-watch-Armada

    Virus Update: EU Fails to Fix AstraZeneca Dispute; U.S. Needs 500 Million Doses

    Coronavirus
  • The World Is Dangerously Dependent on Taiwan for Semiconductors

    The World Is Dangerously Dependent on Taiwan for Semiconductors

    Technology
  • Supply-Chain and Procurement Software in 2021

    Ten Predictions for Supply-Chain and Procurement Software in 2021

    Coronavirus
  • California Trucker

    Why One Southern California Trucker Stays Independent

    Logistics
  • Shippers

    Shippers Saw a Need for Bigger Vessels, But They Built Them Too Big

    Logistics

Digital Edition

Scb home issue 27

2020 Supply Chain Innovator of the Year

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • LSP Saves Customer $1.5 Million a Year With MPO Global Inbound Management

  • Auto Supplier Wows Key Client Using riskmethods Supply Chain Savvy

  • Integrating Shipping and Compliance Saves Conglomerate Millions

  • How a Consumer Goods Giant Upped Its On-Time Delivery Performance

  • LSP Wows Global Client, Quickly Advances to Become End-to-End Provider

Visit Our Sponsors

6 River Systems ArcBest Armada
aThingz BluJay Burris Logistics
DSC Logistics DCSA (Digital Container Shipping Association) DHL Resilience360
Genpact GEP Honeywell Intelligrated
Infor Logility Magnitude Software
MPO Old Dominion Oliver Wight
OpenSky Ports America Purolator
QAD Precision Red Classic Riskmethods
TGW Systems Transportation Insights Watson Land Company
Westfalia Technologies Workjam Yang Ming
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • 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 © 2016 - 2018 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