Customer Reviews

Essentials of Inventory Management

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book is published by the American Management Association and they are clearly a small shop that doesn't know much about the editorial process.

The book comes across as the partially organized thoughts of a guy you just met in a bar who happens to know a thing or two about Inventory Management.

Some of the prose just made me laugh.

"Read the following scenario.." is a lead in to a section. Who in their right mind in a book, which one clearly must be reading, directs the reader to read?

"Albert Einstein, the famous physicist, once said ..." - just so I didn't get him confused with that other Albert Einstein, the prominent lawyer.

There are definitely nuggets of useful information but the "all over the place" style of the author makes you think that you should be able to find a more consistent and rigorous book from an author who seems to have taken more time to compose his thoughts. I am sure Mr Muller could tell us about how he wrote the book on airplanes and in hotel rooms while trying to accomplish a million other things because that is the impression one gains from the lack of polish and inconsistent prose.

Rare but invaluable view into the financial aspects of inventory.

'Exhibit 2-6 Calculating Net Operating Profit Before Tax' in page 37 of the book, by the way, shows $0.02 of freight cost below Cost of Product. However, I believe it should be an inherent part of Cost of Product, not an independent cost in the structure.

It might otherwise be a 'new' cost category far from variable costs and fixed costs - sometimes called Operating Expenses expressed lower in the same exhibit - presented earlier at the bottom of Exhibit 2-4 Variable and Fixed Costs in page 30. Anyone who can clarify this would be appreciated.

the example provided for determining the carrying costs for 2 years seem to be over stated. In the example the additonal carrying cost of the items that have not moved in two years seems to include the Item cost for each year twice. It shows $ 4,449 that has accumulated after two years. This is should show $ 2,528. Only the Carrying cost should be added for each year to come to the additional carrying cost. The author seems to have included the cost of the items in each year. This will affect the breakeven days.

It was received in good time and in great condition. New as described. I am happy about it.