VMI: very mixed impact?
On the one hand, VMI receives applause as if it were a panacea
for inventory-related problems. On the other hand, evidence
is accumulating that VMI doesn’t work for everyone. Observing
less successful implementations, a recent study teasingly
suggested that it could stand for “very mixed impact.” Following
up on these cases and the challenges that managers face,
we came across valuable clues as to when VMI makes sense
and when to avoid it.
It turns out that specific features of company, product and
supplier are prerequisites to success. These are by no means