What does a typical day look like?
I typically spend four to six hours a day working with Slim4. I start my day by logging into Slim4 to check the availability of my articles. I begin looking at the assortment in broad terms before zooming in to a SKU level in order to identify which items require immediate action.
If a product is out of stock, sometimes expediting an existing purchase order will do, or alternatively we may have to place an urgent order. As part of this process, I also try to determine the cause; are the parameters set properly? Are there problems with the supplier or is it just an incidental peak in demand?
When all urgent tasks are completed I start my next main task: placing purchase orders. For this task I use the order generator module in Slim4. I make a list of all the purchase orders for that day and check if there are any abnormalities among them. When I am satisfied that everything is okay, I send the orders to the suppliers via email. Perhaps, in the future, this is a process we can automate.
I spend a large part of my time consulting with our category managers, looking at ways we can resolve excess stock issues. For example, if we have an overstock situation as a consequence of a promotional campaign, we put together a plan to bring the inventory back to a normal level.
I also have regular contact with suppliers to see how we can better cooperate in order to improve their delivery performance. Sharing forecasts or other information can often help this improvement process.