Inventory optimiser set to save manufacturers money

K3 managing director Howard Joseph suggests that the latest version will slash the cost of inventory management and warehousing, while also improving manufacturers' and distributors' supply chains, thanks to its Inventory Optimiser suite. The new tool is the third module of three – the others being Families and Groupings, and Forecasting – and it is the combination, says Joseph, that provides such power for manufacturing firms. "Syspro 6.1's Inventory Optimiser not only enables our customers to manage their inventories better, it also places them in a stronger position to offset the effects of changes in demand," he explains. "With Inventory Optimiser, customers gain visibility of their inventories and advanced optimisation tools to drive out unnecessary costs" adds Joseph. Behind the scenes, the system provides users with useful business modelling, with facilities to adjust policies, such as order frequency, risk and profit, while monitoring the effects on cash flow. Says Joseph: "Importantly, recent research has shown that better inventory alignment is a necessary course of action for tackling challenging trading conditions. Companies that change their business practice in this way are seeing a typical 20—30% reduction on their investment in inventory."