Essentials of Inventory Management [Hardcover]

Max Muller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 2003

This is a straight-talking, no frills guide to real-life inventory management. It has the most thorough introduction available. It features: no abstract theories; just ready-to-use information for new or recently promoted inventory pros; simple, effective formulas and calculations applicable to both finished-goods and manufacturing inventories; and complete troubleshooting strategies. It covers entire breadth of inventory management responsibilities: warehouse layout and physical control, forecasting and replenishment, legal obligations and theft prevention, crisis management, and more.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

"Most inventory professionals would gladly trade all the ""latest thinking"" books for a guide they could use to do their jobs better right now. Essentials of Inventory Management! presents ready-to-use information in key areas from physical control and layout to problem identification and resolution. Concentrating on daily-use inventory concepts, this practical workplace companion specifically addresses:

* Forecasting and replenishment strategies

* Differences between finished-goods (retail) inventories and materials or work-in-process (manufacturing) inventories.

* Materials requirements planning (MRP) and just-in-time (JIT) inventory systems

* Managing inventory as both a physical object and a monetary value

* Applying simple formulas to calculating quantities

* Analyzing and remedying dysfunction

Plus, the book covers theft prevention, legal obligations, and the managment of natural, technological, and incited emergencies. In all, it’s the most thorough introduction available to the inventory management profession."

From the Inside Flap

The most thorough introduction available regarding inventory management—now thoroughly updated and expanded—Essentials of Inventory Management gives you the answers you need to every question you’ll ever have about core inventory concepts, from a financial, physical, forecasting, and operational standpoint. Whether you’re a seasoned inventory control professional, new to stockroom/ warehouse management, or a small business owner who needs to keep on top of everything, this essential guide provides you with timeless stock-keeping fundamentals for optimizing efficiency and driving profits.

Perfect for both instructional and on-the-job use, this nontechnical yet thorough guide helps you understand business realities and to make decisions that balance current demand with future needs while keeping overhead and operating costs to a minimum. Focusing on daily-use inventory concepts and enabling you to analyze and fix dysfunctions when they occur, the book provides the tools and practical guidance you need to:

• Forecast inventory levels and undertake stock replenishment so you have the right items, in the right quantities, at the right time, and in the right place.

• Apply simple formulas to compute breakeven points, profit margins, markups and markdowns, as well as selling price and margin percentages.

• Use financial ratios to improve the operation of your business.

• Manage inventory as both a physical and database object.

• Set up effective stock locator systems.

• Implement efficient item placement theories.

• Consider the differences between finished-goods (retail) inventories and raw materials or work-in-process (manufacturing) inventories.

• Decide when to dispose of dead stock.

• Choose the right cycle counting method for your organization and use it to head off long-range problems.

• Understand materials requirements planning (MRP) and just-in-time (JIT) inventory systems.

• Guard against supply chain risks.

From physical stock issues to problem identification and resolution to technologies like RFID and other automated inventory mechanisms, the second edition of Essentials of Inventory Management is a no-nonsense, how-to-get-it-done-right guide every inventory manager will turn to again and again.

MAX MULLER is an attorney who has been chief executive officer or chief operating officer for numerous companies distributing products ranging from food to ATMs to safety equipment. An authorized General Industry Outreach Trainer for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor, his seminars throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have drawn more than 100,000 attendees. His books include The Manager’s Guide to HR as well as the first edition of Essentials of Inventory Management.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM; 1st edition (January 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081440751X
• ISBN-13: 978-0814407516
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inventory Essentials, April 10, 2006

By 

A. Mock (Panamá, Rep. of Pma.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essentials of Inventory Management (Hardcover)

This book lives up to its title. It is an easy to read introduction to inventory management. If you are new to the concept or are an empiric manager in the process of formalizing your education, this is a good start. Don't look for in depth information or case studies.

On the recommendations side, the author left the topic of safety and occupational health out of the book. It would be good to include this topic in the following edition.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essentials of Inventory Management, October 15, 2008

By 

Joseph Crews (Winston-Salem, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Essentials of Inventory Management (Hardcover)

I've worked in Inventory Management for 20 years. This book covers a lot of areas that someone new to this field will find useful. This book even gave me some new ideas to try in my consulting firm.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Info...poorly put together, February 27, 2011

By 

Shane M Taylor (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Essentials of Inventory Management (Kindle Edition)

While this book has some good information I agree with one of the reviewers that the editorial process was absent and the topics are not cohesive. My English teacher in college would have red marks all over this document.