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Supply chain case studies
These are four recent engagements with mid-sized Indian manufacturers, in packaging, textiles, ophthalmic products and rubber gloves. Each one followed The Shift Engine: diagnose the gaps, design the norms and KPIs, deploy the solution with the client’s team, then drive it until it sticks.
We keep our clients’ names confidential, so each case is described by industry. The results are what was delivered on the ground. Where a figure is a projection or a target, we say so.
Inventory norms, warehouse control and dispatch planning for a packaging manufacturer
The challenge
No formal inventory norms for finished goods or raw materials, manual warehouse operations, dispatch that depended on individual planners, and an ERP migration still pending.
What we did
- ABC classification of finished goods by value and velocity, with statistically set safety stock
- Raw-material safety stock with a weekly, ERP-linked reorder model and control-limit alerts
- A standard procedure for classifying make-to-order and make-to-stock items
- Finished-goods warehouse mapped as-is and to-be, with unit-wise location naming and perpetual stock-taking
- Raw-material store segmented by velocity, with fast movers moved closer to use
- A warehouse management system for finished goods
- Truck scheduling, route optimisation and load-nesting tools, plus carrier partnerships and rate negotiation
- An ERP fit study and SCM KPIs with a monthly review
Results
- Inventory norms live for A and B class items
- Weekly reorder model running
- ERP gap analysis complete
- WMS go-live under way
Warehouse layout, FIFO discipline and dispatch digitalisation for a textile manufacturer
The challenge
Criss-cross movement in the finished-goods warehouse, no FIFO discipline, manual dispatch with many process gaps, and no visibility of KPIs.
What we did
- Finished-goods layout redesigned by SKU velocity: 102 runner, 183 repeater and 414 stranger sorts
- Gravity-assisted FIFO bays
- Separate inspection flows for rolls and bales, with FIFO job allocation using a display board and priority list
- A 15-project IT roadmap: barcode-based dispatch, automatic GST and state codes, digital delivery challans and a combined invoice and delivery screen
- A daily pending-order report, a KPI dashboard and a monthly KPI template
Results
- 14 of the 15 IT projects completed
- About 20% labour productivity improvement projected from the new layout
Inventory, order-to-dispatch and freight control for an ophthalmic products manufacturer
The challenge
High finished-goods and raw-material inventory with ageing work-in-progress, manual steps from order to dispatch, no structured SCM KPI review, and high import freight cost.
What we did
- Finished-goods safety stock and reorder levels with control limits, live across three domestic product divisions
- Raw-material inventory norms and a redesigned purchase process
- Analysis and review of premium (emergency) freight
- Paperless picking through a WMS in the new finished-goods warehouse
- A Power BI order-management tool for international orders
- A machine-learning demand forecasting model (started)
- SCM KPIs with a monthly review
Results
- Work-in-progress older than 90 days reduced across all divisions
- Premium freight eliminated
- 9 of 25 identified IT projects implemented
Inventory, demand planning and logistics cost for a glove manufacturer
The challenge
About one month of finished-goods stock, one and a half months of work-in-progress and 20 days of packing materials, costing roughly ₹50 lakh a month to carry. On-time delivery was very low, there was no formal demand forecast, make-to-stock and make-to-order overlapped, and supply chain and logistics cost was about 12% of turnover.
What we did
- An SCM organisation structure and KPIs
- Inventory norms and make-to-order / make-to-stock classification
- A demand forecasting process
- Alternate supplier identification
- Dispatch scheduling and a logistics cost audit
- Design of a digital solution
Results
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Call or WhatsApp +91 93440 11267, email care@7thmileshift.com, or visit us at B 21, Phase I, TVS Nagar, Hosur. We work with manufacturers across Hosur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore and the rest of India.