Demand-Driven Inventory Optimization and Replenishment: Creating a More Efficient Supply Chain

Acknowledgments

I, like most practitioners of inventory optimization, tend to talk at length about all of the technical aspects of the solution. However, the genesis of this book occurred when I decided to stop talking about the really cool algorithms and start discussing with people the root causes of why inventories are out of control in many supposedly high-functioning supply chains. In the middle of a Software Bootcamp presentation I was making, a senior manager raised his hand and said, “I've been listening to people talk about inventory optimization for at least five years, and this is the first time I get it!” Sitting off to the side was my good friend, Charlie Chase. He shouted out, “Bob, you should write a book!”

The rest, as they say, is history.

One of my so-called strengths is that I love to learn. In writing this book I had the great fortune of stepping back through my career to retrace the steps that got me to where I am considered to be an expert on the subject of inventory optimization. I have been extremely fortunate to have met very smart people who took me under their wing. If it weren't for JoAnne McBride telling me to put up or shut up about ordering, I never would have had the opportunity to practice vendor-managed inventory. Bob Larson and Pat Smith spent many hours going over what made good decisions when supporting their crazy advertising whims. A great visionary, Nick Gazzard, took the time to teach me about supply chain cost analysis, a lot about life ...