Hauni Offers Vendor-Managed Inventory

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 01/21/2011

Hauni Machinenbau now offers a new vendor-managed inventory (VMI) system. The system helps minimize purchase costs and streamline order processing, freeing up resources for other, more important jobs. VMI also makes the manufacturing process more reliable because Hauni works with the customer to optimize inventory-controlled materials procurement. Many Hauni customers already view the Hauni Webshop and the EDI link as important elements in their purchasing routine. VMI makes the logistics of ordering spare parts even simpler. "Our new VMI service goes a step further by fully automating the replenishment process for fast moving parts," explains Heiko Geißler, service operations manager. "We not only supply the spares but also actively manage the customer's inventory, including the parts ordering process, and we also suggest ways to improve materials planning parameters. It all makes spares easier for clients to procure whilst benefiting them financially." VMI is controlled via a secure system that communicates daily with the customer to transfer warehouse data. If stocks of a particular part are found to have reached the defined minimum, the program will automatically initiate a replenishment process. The steps involved at both ends in processing an order can be automated up to 100 percent. Additional parameters can be defined to optimize shipping costs. The entire process is designed for maximum transparency both to the customer and to Hauni. Inventory parameters can be modified to ensure the optimum level of tied capital at any given time, allowing factories to respond swiftly to any change in the manufacturing situation. "Customers stand to benefit in a variety of ways," says Geißler. Minimizing stocks also releases tied capital. By discussing and repeatedly reviewing the inventory parameters, warehouse stocks can be reduced to a minimum while taking precautions to avoid "stock out" situations. "We see to it that required parts are always available, therefore allowing the customer to rest assured that they are safeguarded from production downtimes caused by spare part shortages," says Geißler. At the customer's end, staff resources can be better utilized, as most of the stock auditing work is taken off their hands. "Running out of parts is not the only risk. Sometimes a factory can lose track of stocked items, which [then] lie on warehouse shelves till they no longer fit on current machine models and end up having to be scrapped," says Geißler. Those are expenses that can be avoided. Now that customers in various parts of the world have expressed great satisfaction with this service, Hauni hopes to be able to provide it to many others. Enditem