08 May
The Square-Root Law of Inventory Pooling Is Wrong More Often Than It’s Right
The simple answer to whether the Square-Root Law of Inventory Pooling is “wrong more often than it’s right” is that it’s generally not wrong in its fundamental mathematical derivation, but it’s often misapplied or used without considering its underlying assumptions.
09 Apr
Lead Time Is Not a Number: Modeling Transit, Customs, and Dock Variance as a Compound Distribution
Lead time isn’t just a single number we can neatly jot down. It’s much more complex, a dynamic element with various moving parts, making it better described as a distribution rather than a fixed value. Thinking of lead time as
02 Apr
Warehouse Slotting as a Constraint Programming Problem: Modeling Travel Time, Velocity Decay, and Affinity in OR-Tools
Thinking about how to best organize a warehouse can be a real head-scratcher. It’s not just about putting things wherever they fit; it’s about making sure your goods are stored in a way that minimizes wasted time, reduces effort, and
09 Mar
SKU Master Data Deduplication with Sentence Embeddings: Beyond Levenshtein on Item Descriptions
Getting rid of duplicate SKUs in your master data is key to keeping things organized and efficient, and we’re seeing some really smart new ways to do it. Instead of just looking at how similar two item descriptions are character
01 Mar
Bitemporal Inventory Ledgers: Answering ‘What Did We Believe Stock Was On Date X, As Of Date Y?’
Ever found yourself staring at current inventory numbers and wondering, “What did we actually think we had on hand on that specific day last month, given what we knew then?” It’s a surprisingly common puzzle, especially when you need to
11 Feb
Cycle Count Sampling Is Statistically Indefensible: A Bayesian Approach to Inventory Accuracy
Let’s talk about cycle counting and whether it’s really as “statistically indefensible” as some might suggest. The short answer is, for most practical inventory management purposes, it’s not indefensible. In fact, it’s a well-established and generally effective method. The idea
18 Jan
New-Product Forecasting Without History: Hierarchical Bayesian Priors From Attribute Embeddings
So, you’re wondering how to predict sales for a brand-new product when you’ve got zero past sales data for it. It’s a common headache, right? You’ve got a great idea, but how do you tell if it’s going to fly
10 Jan
Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization (MEIO) Without a $400K Consulting Engagement: A Practitioner’s Implementation Guide
Ever wondered if you could tackle Multi-Echelon Inventory Optimization (MEIO) without shelling out a fortune for consultants? Good news – you absolutely can. It’s a journey, not a magic bullet, but with the right approach and a clear understanding of
15 Dec
3D Bin Packing for Parcel and Pallet Optimization: When Heuristics Beat CP-SAT and When They Don’t
So, you’re wondering when 3D bin packing is going to get smart about filling up your trucks and warehouses, and whether fancy computer solvers like CP-SAT are always the answer, or if those older, simpler “rule-of-thumb” methods (heuristics) are sometimes
01 Dec
Phantom Inventory Detection on Transaction Streams: Anomaly Models for Shrinkage Signal
So, you’re grappling with that frustrating issue of “phantom inventory”? That’s the stuff that shows up on your books but isn’t actually on the shelf, and it usually points to a bigger problem like shrinkage or errors. The good news
12 Oct
The “Big 3” Dilemma: SAP S/4HANA vs. Oracle Cloud ERP vs. Microsoft Dynamics 365
In the rapidly evolving landscape of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, three giants have emerged as the dominant players: SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics. Collectively referred to as the “Big 3,” these systems have transformed how organizations manage their operations,
30 Sep
5 Hidden Pitfalls of an ERP Implementation (And How to Avoid Them)
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have become integral to modern business operations, providing a unified platform for managing various organizational processes. However, the journey to successful ERP implementation is fraught with challenges that can derail even the most well-planned projects.