The Inventory Toolkit: Business Systems Solutions

Looking beyond the complexity and theory of inventory management, authors Geoff Relph and Catherine Milner examine managing inventory and achieving targets. Whilst the first edition mainly focused on planning, this new edition of The Inventory Toolkit includes three new chapters that go beyond planning to implementation. Amongst other topics, the new chapters cover holding and moving inventory, working with suppliers and using stack and flow to identify pinch points and facilitate lean and agile operations. This comprehensive second edition of The Inventory Toolkit includes case studies from diverse industries such as retail and aerospace, and worked examples and regular exercises which illustrate how the inventory tools can be used in an operational setting. It is an invaluable reference guide for students and practitioners focusing on inventory management and operations management in manufacturing and retail, as well as operational staff involved in the implementation of the MRP and inventory management modules of ERP systems.

Table of Contents:
Chapter - 00: Introduction; Chapter - 01: Introduction to inventory management; Chapter - 02: Business systems and business; Chapter - 03: Inventory balancing and control; Chapter - 04: The complexity of inventory management within business systems; Chapter - 05: Stack and flow inventories; Chapter - 06: Traditional thinking in inventory optimization; Chapter - 07: k-curve methodology; Chapter - 08: The practical application of k-curve; Chapter - 09: Case study examples of k-curve planning approach; Chapter - 10: Review, summary and what to do next; Chapter - 11: Appendix A; Chapter - 12: Appendix B; Chapter - 13: Appendix C; Chapter - 14: Useful websites; Chapter - 15: Index;

About the Author :
Geoff Relph has extensive experience in inventory and business systems management in the operational, consulting and academic sectors. He is an associate lecturer at the Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick, UK, and delivers modules for the MSc Programme in the UK and internationally. Catherine Milner is a chartered engineer and project manager with experience working in aerospace, petrochemicals and telecommunications. She has managed many successful projects on electronic data exchange with customers, forecasting, MRP, supply chain management, and business process re-engineering. She is a managing consultant, and a visiting lecturer at the University of Warwick.

Review :
"Every inventory manager worth their salt should be working with this book. It has a thorough explanation of the history of inventory management analysis tools, but crucially what they do and how to use them. The Excel examples with formulas are excellent and raises the bar for Inventory analysis texts." "The Inventory Toolkit examines the three core pillars of inventory management, namely planning, control and balance and takes the reader through each process providing excellent tools and examples to highlight issues and provide solutions. Forecasting and managing inventory is like walking a tightrope - you need to plan, control what you're doing and your surroundings and keep your balance - this book ensures that your journey is made as easy as possible. Using excellent case studies and problem-solving techniques, this book brings the subject of inventory management to life." "Inventory planning has always been a fundamental element of logistics management. However, in today's volatile and uncertain business environment it has become even more critical - too much inventory means that costs and risk increase, too little and sales are lost. This book offers clear and practical guidance on how to achieve a better balance between supply and demand to enable the achievement of higher service levels at less cost."