Merchandise inventory organization in megacity under breaking external supply chain conditions
The paper tackles the aspect of merchandise inventory organization at a megacity chain warehouses aimed at meeting the consumer goods demand under force-majeure breaking conditions of external supply chain. The most common way to settle the problem consisting in urgent supply contract awards entails considerable additional expenditures. The author proposes to save the situation through transportation problem solution based reallocation of merchandise inventory between chain warehouses depending upon current stock and chain-wide goods’ demand. Also it is proposed to employ for redistribution purposes light duty vehicles at night time thus avoiding traffic jams. For the conservation purpose of merchandise inventory of chain warehouses during the external supply crisis it is proposed to distribute it between the retail outlet spots according to “just-in-time” pattern which involves logistic cooperation arrangements between the chain warehouses, transportation staff and retail outlet spots. For that end chain warehouse must have on-line access capability to actual demand data and delivery of purchase orders /ordered goods shall be exercised without delays. The proposed redistribution method of the megacity merchandise inventory under breaking supply chain conditions will make it possible: To escape fire fighting and organizational setbacks while yielding enough goods to meet the needs of megacity population up to restoration of external goods’ supply To minimize merchandise inventory redistribution related transportation expenditures in the megacity To eliminate expenditures related to urgent off-chain delivery of necessary goods