Email
sinha.rk.dr@gmail.com
‘Doing nothing’ is not necessarily a sign of inertia in Supply Chain.
There is a perception that supply chain professionals are always busy with activity. They respond to every change in the demand signal. Not responding is seen as inertia.
Have you seen martial artists standing absolutely still at times? It doesn’t mean they are relaxing. Imagine Bruce Lee in a tense karate fight. Standing still, with full attention, absorbing all the signals and processing them, is the highest state of alertness.
Not every change in demand signal needs a differential action from our side. Inventory buffers in a well-designed supply chain are meant to play the role of shock absorbers. Only if the magnitude is larger than what the buffers can absorb, do we need to take cognisance and act.
That’s why well-designed and well-run supply chains appear so calm from outside.