Good resolutions, you know, those things you decided to do at the beginning of last year that… what was it again?
Ah yes, but no, this year it’s different because the few good business resolutions that follow to steer your flows are now easy to put into practice!
I’ll Protect and Accelerate the Flow
If you’re in industry or distribution, your core business is to transform raw materials into finished products that meet our customers’ needs, in the right place, at the right time. The faster and more reliably you can do this, the better you’ll serve your customers, the more you’ll protect your company’s future, and the lower your costs will be in relation to the capital you’ve invested. It’s as simple as that: flow optimization is everything. Remember it all year round, and pass it on to your peers!
I Will Concentrate on the Relevant Information
Not all the information you’re exposed to is useful. Look at your mailbox, your news feed, or your ERP…
This year, focus on the few key pieces of information that will enable you to make informed decisions. Working by exception, steering by a few key points, and understanding the real economic impact of plan B versus plan A, now’s the time to put some elements of the Theory of Constraints into practice for real…
By a Few Points, I Will Control the Flow
You’ve already tried to optimize every stage of your processes, maximize the use of all your resources, to eliminate all waste, you’ve implemented 5S and SMED everywhere, you measure the OEE of all your equipment, you’ve plugged sensors everywhere and digitized everything in the 4.0 way, and… it’s stalling badly?
This year it’s clear: I identify my real constraints, protect and exploit them, and improve the system as a whole! This is the foundation of effective inventory management and process efficiency.
I’ll Dampen Supply Chain Variability
Don’t worry, Murphy will continue to strike this year: quality problems, supplier delivery delays, machine breakdowns, absenteeism, and unexpected urgent requirements: you’ll get the whole package!
Stock buffers, including time and capacity, will be your allies – as long as you put them in the right place, size them right, and manage them rather than endure them!
Short-Term and Long-Term I Will Reconcile
Is your S&OP simulation sometimes/often wishful thinking, which is hard to put into practice? What if, instead of looking for a hypothetical alignment of the demand and supply planets, you set up your S&OP this year as a simulation of your operating model in the face of the possible scenarios it could be confronted with?
I’ll Learn and Adapt
As Carol Ptak recently reminded us, our supply chains are not deterministic systems that can be optimized. They are adaptive supply chains, which can learn and adapt. Isn’t it true for you and your company that the most important thing this year will be to learn and adapt?
See You Soon?… Or Before Then?
The good news about this year’s resolutions is that with Intuiflow they’re easy to implement structurally, within a few months, and can deliver results as early as this summer. Implement these strategies to build supply chain resilience and prepare for the unexpected!
