This is the exciting world of three-D printing where production batch sizes can be small or on-demand without impacting production efficiency. By Peter Layton. Artificial intelligence, big data, virtual reality, robotics, cloud computing. The information technology (IT) revolution rolls on, progressively changing the world. MORE

The ultimate magic in efficient operations happens during Order Planning and is the next principle: All work is done in batches. Batching orders together is a base principle of eCommerce fulfillment, and batching similar orders together is a key to improving efficiency. Optimally batching orders together on the front-end, leads to more efficient pick paths on the back-end. This is an important factor in batching. MORE

It also helps the company know when to increase the batch size of a pick assignment based on the height of the pick tasks. More recently, SnapFulfil is helping PetFlow optimise pick paths and batching logic and minimise travel distance on each route. MORE

Flexibility is required in modern intralogistics: Companies must quickly adapt their processes to various product and batch sizes. They look for ways of packaging that can be flexibly adapted to changing parameters – different package sizes and safety requirements, for instance.” Online trade requires shipping products ranging from delicate clothing to washing machines. MORE

The term Cycle Inventory is used to define the average inventory in a supply chain due to either production or purchases in lot sizes that are larger than those demanded by the customer. It follows the following formula: A lot size (or batch size): Q : is the quantity that a stage of supply chain either produces or purchases at a specific time. A typical example of lot size is shown with this graph: Q (lot size) is the quantity order at a time t. MORE

Unfortunately, focusing too much on manufacturing efficiency can lead to large batch sizes that are often misaligned with actual customer demand. May 24, 2018 ·. By Henry Canitz, Logility. To succeed in today’s hyper-competitive market, F&B companies must build a strong foundation of flexible supply chain processes, run by knowledgeable and experienced people and enabled by integrated and agile systems. Consensus Demand Planning . MORE

Testing may have more to do with the shape or size of a design, rather than its strength or durability, because the prototype may not be made of the same material as the final product. It provides a high degree of design freedom, the optimization and integration of functional features, the manufacture of small batch sizes at reasonable unit costs and a high degree of product customization even in serial production. MORE

Batch Sizes decrease to just about 1: The bane of supply chains is when you can get to 1x1 or batch sizes of one. By nature, supply chains like huge batch sizes as this helps: Inventory Procurement Shipping (Full shipments) Receiving Change overs in plants Tooling and machinery Now the question is how will supply chains adapt to true batch sizes of one. MORE