“I’ve been asked to get inventory under control. What’s best practice?”
Leadership handed you the assignment: get inventory under control. You have the mandate, but not the method — and thousands of part numbers staring back at you.
Request a Situation ReviewWhat you're facing
- You do not know where to start with this many part numbers.
- If you cut inventory and the line stops, it is on you.
- Nobody has agreed on what “good” looks like or how to measure it.
- You need to show your boss real progress in 30 to 60 days.
What this is costing you
- Cash sitting on the shelf in parts you do not need.
- Line stoppages if stock is cut in the wrong places.
- Your credibility if the effort stalls or backfires.
- Time lost chasing symptoms instead of fixing the system.
The questions you're probably asking
- Where do I even start? We have thousands of part numbers.
- How do I reduce inventory without starving the line?
- What does good look like, and what should I measure?
- How do I show progress in the first 30 to 60 days?
Your first 5 steps
- 1Record today’s numbers: inventory turns, inventory value, stockouts, and expedites.
- 2Pull your top 50 parts by value and usage.
- 3Build a PFEP record for each one.
- 4Segment them by value and demand pattern, and assign a rule to each group.
- 5Flag excess and obsolete stock for quick wins.
What best practice says
You cannot control what you have not defined. Best practice starts with a Plan for Every Part (PFEP): one record per part — usage, supplier, lead time, pack size, where it is stored, where it is used, and how it is replenished. Start with the roughly 20% of parts that carry most of the value and usage, not all of them. Then segment by value and demand pattern and set a rule for each group: steady high-volume parts are candidates for kanban, occasional parts stay on MRP, and obsolete stock gets cleared. The quick wins from excess and obsolete stock show up in weeks and help fund the rest.
The Exceleor Path
- 01
Discovery
Understand the problem, measure where things stand today, and agree on what success looks like.
- 02
Define the engagement path
Most organizations don't know the path. We do. A proven method, tailored to your situation.
- 03
Training
Bring your people to a clear understanding of the requirements.
- 04
Implement and engage
Carry out the work jointly, with your people involved from day one.
- 05
Verify
Confirm the work was done and meets the requirement.
- 06
Validate
Confirm the original problem is actually solved, measured against the success measures from Discovery.
- 07
Transfer ownership
We collaborate throughout, so your team can run it without us.
- 08
Sustain and grow
We stay close, check in, and catch the next need early. We're here to make sure you succeed.
What you'll have at the end
- A working PFEP for your critical parts.
- A clear inventory rule for each part segment.
- A baseline leadership can see, and progress measured against it.
- A 90-day reduction plan that does not risk the line.
- A foundation ready for kanban on the parts that fit it.
Why SupplySourceSync
- 30+ years of VP-level supply chain and quality leadership, including $1.85B in supply chain assets managed.
- Certified ISO auditor experience across aerospace, defense, automotive, medical device, and electronics.
- Work with organizations such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, NASA, Toyota, and Ford.
- We do the work with your people, prove the problem is solved, and hand you the keys.
SupplySourceSync is an Exceleor LLC company.
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