If we recall, two decades ago, companies, to a large extent, privileged the installed capacity of the plant over reasonable levels of stocks, therefore, they kept large quantities of stocks to maximize the use of the plant and satisfy the needs of their customers, then over the years the companies through their managers realized that the possession of excessive levels of stocks implied high costs, mainly logistical and financial but to a lesser extent, in addition that they could maintain a level of optimal service with a reasonable stock.
If we take the previous statements we can draw some conclusions:
The companies became aware of the immobilized capital that they kept in their warehouses.
By maintaining large levels of inventory (Stock), they had to build large warehouses or warehouses to store, preserve and later market them.
The companies became aware of, and considered important, the issue of logistics costs that derive from maintaining stock levels, whether they are due to storage, inventory, obsolescence, waste, capital opportunity, etc.
Maintaining high stock levels does not add "not a single gram of added value to the operation."
Maintaining high levels of inventory, only contributes that the financial flows of the company are reduced or diminished in their fluidity (payment of suppliers, etc.)
Given these conclusions, we can ask ourselves another question: If keeping a stock implies these disadvantages, why should we keep a stock?
If we consider the stock as a quantity of a certain stock or reference, which is stored in a place within the company or outside it (warehouse or distribution center) to satisfy a demand requirement, we must say that the stock of a stock maintains a continuous flow from the company to its end customer. Absorbing the differences that exist between the expected demand and the actual sales resulting from the commercialization of products, maintains an independence of the operations and gives a margin of safety against possible variations in the delivery of raw materials.
This would not be a problem if we had the possibility of knowing exactly the demand, we would not have the need to maintain stock levels, therefore only the exact quantity that was required would be manufactured, with this we would not maintain the high costs associated with the maintenance of products at the company's facilities.
At this time, it is unthinkable to imagine that a company that handles large levels of stocks or Sku's does so without at least having a WMS, methods, procedures, and highly trained personnel in regard to adequate stock control. and inventories.
The existences
We can basically define these types of stocks:
Stock Standard: It is the one that is usually maintained in the company to satisfy the requirements of the demand for products by customers, we must also mention to carry a better control of stocks a minimum and maximum level of units can be established by reference or sku.
Safety stock: It is the one that is kept to satisfy a special requirement that has not been considered in the expected demand, the maintenance of an additional stock by the company aims to minimize the possibility of stock breaks and a sale repressed.
Minimum stock: Corresponds to the minimum quantity that can be kept in stock of a certain existence or reference, keeping a stock at this point puts the product's commercialization at risk, because if the requested quantity does not exist, there may be repressed sales.
Maximum stock: Corresponds to the maximum level of stock that a company can have stored for one existence, this from a technical, administrative and economic point of view. The technical point is based on the installed capacity of the plant to be able to produce, the administrative one on an administrative organization and the economic point because the cost of maintaining an excessive inventory is very high and does not add value to the operation.
Now that we have basically defined the types of stocks that exist and that are necessary to know, we must say that the most important thing is to have an optimal stock management policy (clear, precise, with a study of optimal stock levels and determined by procedures), in order to be able to plan, organize and control said stock in an efficient way, with a continuous and constant flow by the company to satisfy customer requirements, which is ultimately our job.
How does a company achieve an optimal stock management policy?
Companies will achieve a good stock policy when they achieve a balance between the level of service, the amount of stock to keep, the logistics and financial costs that the possession of a stock implies, companies in Chile maintain high levels of inventory due to the The trade-off between satisfying customer needs and losing sales due to lack of stock of the product, which later leads to a loss of market.
The majority of companies in Chile have not opted for a different policy of stock ownership (just in time, Kankan) because they have privileged the production or acquisition of large batches of stocks in order to capture the needs of customers who are in definitively those who deliver profit margins to companies.
To end this article, I cannot fail to mention that logistics has become a differentiating element for companies considered Top in the world - known are the cases of Nike, Procter & Gamble and Zara, to name a few, although in Chile this is still an issue still incipient, the "logistics" must work insistently to transform it into an important area of real relevance within companies, because logistics is very important and / or perhaps, fundamental within our companies, since It is an area that in the future will differentiate companies from their competition, because it is reaching a point where products, prices, quality, payment terms, etc. are similar, which allows customers to have greater choice options as they say out there,Marketing makes you dream, sales promises but ultimately logistics is what fulfills !!!
Chilean companies that "get ahead" in becoming aware of the relevance that logistics can have in the operation of the supply chain (SCM) and implement logistics departments and managements will be several steps ahead of their competitors, this because implementing procedures, stock policies (levels, inventory rotation, obsolescence levels, indicators, among others) and managing the operation, takes a considerable amount of time and therefore has an economic cost, taking this point into consideration. Companies will be being much more competitive and the most important will be delivering more profits to shareholders, which is what we logistics are looking for.
According to an article by Professor Jorge H. Chávez (UAI), obsolescence in retail companies can reach 33%
