Barilla Case Study: Production Is Based On Demand Prediction

If the operation have not reordered all the goods they need, this can lead to irritated customers and lower revenue for the operation.

Reduced need for higher capacity at the supplier. This would be reduced because suppliers would not need to size their operations to deliver on the “one shot large volume order” and would be able to space these in time with orders at

High risk of huge inventory returns from the distributors if they are not able to sell in reasonable timeframe. This will increase huge sales return in B&L books in the following year.

Additionally, forward buying activities from distributors due to frequent trade promotions and volume dis-counts enforce the effect of demand fluctuations. During promotions, distributors buy huge amounts of pasta at a lower price. This forward buying leads to lower demand in future periods and contributes to high peaks in or-der quantity and low levels of orders in the following periods. Connected to this problem is the incentive system of the sales force, which relies heavily on trade promotions in order to achieve quarterly targets. Another factor related to these aspects is batch ordering and

During the game, I realized that wide gaps in orders of every role in the supply chain such as factory, distributor and retailer create inventory management challenges. For example, distributor records 0units between week1-week 4 compared to retailer within the same period. The retailer records 3units, 5units, 2units and 2units between weeks 1- week 4. The same applies to factory with 0units from weeks 2-4. Addressing inventory management problems requires developing an average unit level to avoid disappointing customers when demand

Company is facing a challenge of potentially higher inventory costs. Rising prices may further result in changes in customer behavior and preferences.

Looking at the fluctuation in Exhibit 12, one could expect that poor coordination in the supply chain would increase costs. Provide a discussion for the cost of poor coordination in Barilla’s supply chain. Items to consider here include production changeovers or setups, inventory levels, facility utilization, transportation costs, quantity discounts and promotions, canvas periods etc.

The super computer, Telson records all the sales. The order is automatically generated that evening. At midnight, the warehouse fills that order and it sits back on

One of the underlying causes of the difficulties that the JITD program was created to solve was the effects of inconsistent demand that came from Barilla’s distributors. The extreme demand variation strained Barillas manufacturing and logistics, and made very hard for Barilla to meet that demand. For example, as noted on the case “the specific sequence of pasta production necessitated by the tight heat and humidity specifications in the tunnel kiln made it difficult to quickly produce a particular pasta that had been sold out due

In the inventories section, they are directed at the lower of cost (primarily moving average cost) or market. Starbucks records inventory reserves for obsolete and slow-moving inventory and for estimated shrinkage between physical inventory counts. According to trends, inventory reserves are based on inventory obsolescence, historical experience and application of the specific identification method. As of September 27, 2015 and September 28, 2014, inventory reserves were $33.8 million and $31.2 million, respectively. We see that the carrying amount (lower of cost or market) as of the balance sheet date of inventories less all valuation and other allowances. Excludes noncurrent inventory balances (expected to remain on hand past one year or one operating cycle, if longer).

Second, the classification in inventory management is still inaccurate. That results in some problems such as: the severe lack of some products which are in growing demand (1 inch valve series 230), the redundancy making storage expenses go up and the stagnancy in storage area (to products like gear driven rotary and monitor controller)

As argued by Lubben (1988), JIT allows businesses to have better management since this ensures that there is no loss as there is sufficient number of clients requiring the equipment. This reduces her to deal with huge deliveries when the clients’ numbers are not increasing. (Lubben, 1988, p.4) also suggested the idea of JIT that “... major elements of manufacturing – capital, equipment and labour are made available only in the amount required and at the time required to do the job.” So it is a good practice by utilising JIT approach as it reduces wastes and ensure the correct amount of equipment is available (Lubben,

Barilla’s products are divided into Fresh products and Dry products. The demand for these two distinct kinds of products is quite different, and the order, shipment and delivery methods for them are also various.

The overarching problem is distributors base their actions off of retail demand on the one side and Barilla sales incentives on the other with no means to reconcile the two. GD’s and DO’s use a variety of inventory systems, but for the most part these systems are based on a simple periodic review. They take a weekly inventory of their stock and place orders accordingly. There are no forecasting systems in place to determine future retail demand on which to base orders. With a lead time of 10-14 days between order placement and delivery and a reactionary ordering system, high costs due to cycles of stockouts and bullwhip effects will continue.

Just-in-time delivery needs good collaboration with vendors of distribution services and of products. The distributor needs a continuity of demand and the chance to define routes, loads and schedules well ahead. By working toward longer-terms, higher-volume procurements with vendors, prices can be cut due to larger transport volume over a long period of time. Just-in-time delivery will cut down the operating costs if the business is substantial for the distribution partner. Just in time delivery needs more frequent deliveries from vendors however it does not voluntarily imply higher transportation costs.