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Discussion The Great Inventory Correction Tammy Vazquez School of Business, Liberty University September 7, 2023 Author Note Tammy Vazquez I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Tammy Vazquez Email: [email protected] Discussion: The Great Inventory Correction Altera, a prodigy in the high-tech industry, has ventured into unchartered territories by reconsidering its traditional supply chain management strategies. The company is at a juncture where it has shifted, moving from a conventional build-to-stock model to a more agile and responsive build-to-order approach. While the change is significant for Altera, it is not unique. The strategy is present throughout the industry, with major companies like Flextronics and IBM embedding the principles of information valuation and supply chain integration into their operations. The value of information and supply chain integration is vital in fostering a corporate environment that is both efficient and adaptable. Specifically, these factors facilitate smooth operational dynamics and catalysts that redefine market strategies, empowering businesses to develop resilient, informed, and forward-looking pathways (Hsu et al., 2021; Rahman et al., 2020; Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). Altera's Strategic Modification Evolution of Strategy Altera is transitioning from a push-based strategy to a more balanced push-pull strategy and even incorporating elements of a pure pull strategy to improve supply chain efficiency and better match demand with supply. In a push-based strategy, production is driven by long-term forecasts, which can sometimes lead to surplus inventory and higher holding costs (Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). However, this strategy can result in obsolete inventories due to a mismatch between produced goods and actual market demand (Campuzano-Bolaràn et al., 2019). By incorporating a push-pull strategy, Altera maintains a flexible inventory with a minimized value-add at the push stage of the supply chain, wherein typical products are stocked in die banks before packaging and testing (Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). This approach allows for a quick response to customer orders. Once an order is placed, the strategy shifts to a pull approach, where products are packaged and evaluated according to the customer’s specific demands, pulling products through the supply chain based on actual customer demand, thereby reducing lead times and avoiding obsolescence. Furthermore, Altera adopts a build-to-order strategy for mature products, which is a clear example of a pull strategy, relying entirely on actual customer orders to spark the production process. Explaining the Strategic Shift Altera’s strategy is progressing towards a pull strategy with a substantial embrace of push-pull strategies to maintain a balance, aiming to circumvent obsolete inventories’ drawbacks and effectively harmonize supply with actual demand. By implementing these strategies, Altera mitigates the risks associated with obsolete inventories, as they can more precisely match supply with demand (Campuzano-Bolaràn et al., 2019; Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). This transition focuses on enhancing the value of information and achieving superior supply chain integration. The motivation behind this strategic modification develops from a meaningful evaluation of previous deficiencies where the previous method was financially draining and fell short of meeting customer demands effectively. By leveraging the lead time demand in the supply chain to dictate inventory and order processes, Altera has fostered a system grounded in efficiency and responsiveness to market demands. Potential of the New Strategy Benefits and Drawbacks Analyzing Altera’s revised strategy, the company now supports a model where mainstream products are built and stocked in die banks, ready to be packaged and shipped once an order is placed. This approach could potentially lessen the impact of the bullwhip effect, as being more responsive to actual demand reduces the likelihood of overstocking or understocking products based on forecasted demands, which can often be inaccurate (Hsu et al., 2021; Rahman et al., 2020). Altera’s innovative approach depends on adaptability, intending to accommodate the fluctuating demands of high-tech products accurately (Hsu et al., 2021; Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). While this strategy enables the corporation to reduce unnecessary sales discounts stemming from stock accumulation, research indicates that it necessitates a higher degree of collaboration among supply chain members, sometimes slowing the response rate to rapid market demands (Hsu et al., 2021). Altera’s new strategy, involving a shift to a more make-to-order and postponed manufacturing approach, has fundamentally more logical and potentially successful elements than its previous strategy. The method aligns better with the dynamics of sophisticated and high-tech products, which tend to become obsolete rapidly (Campuzano-Bolaràn et al., 2019). This shift can potentially moderate the bullwhip effect. In this phenomenon, slight changes in customer demand can cause more significant fluctuations in orders when moving up the supply chain, introducing a host of inefficiencies in the supply chain management process (Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). Engaging in a more reactive strategy to the actual demands and reducing reliance on inaccurate forecasts, Altera can reduce the fluctuations and variances in the supply chain, thus mitigating the bullwhip effect to a certain extent. Moreover, this strategy could enhance customer satisfaction by aligning production more closely with the precise specifications and requirements of the customers, reducing finished goods inventory, and minimizing sales discounts due to obsolete inventory (Campuzano-Bolaràn et al., 2019; Hsu et al., 2021; Rahman et al., 2020). However, this necessitates greater collaboration and management with subcontractors and customers, introducing complexities that might amplify the bullwhip effect if not properly overseen. Specifically, postponement of the manufacturing process could introduce delays, requiring a highly responsive supply chain to avoid worsened bullwhip effects from more significant order variances (Hsu et al., 2021). A significant issue that could arise would be the inability to rapidly respond to customer demands due to the products needing to be fully built and ready to ship immediately (Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). Therefore, Rahman et al. (2021) posit that a well-coordinated supply chain management approach to prevent the amplification of demand fluctuations is necessitated to avert the bullwhip effect. A significant aspect of the new strategy involves meeting customer specifications without expanding inventories, realizing stability between operational efficiency and customer satisfaction (Rahman et al., 2021). Although there is potential to streamline operations, the strategy brings forward challenges, including increased wait times for customers, necessitating a balance that does not compromise quality or timely delivery. Anticipating Customer Reactions Customer Responses Altera’s strategic shift fosters opportunities and challenges for its customer base. While the potential for enhanced collaboration and customization has distinct advantages, concerns over increased lead times and the deeper level of involvement required in the supply chain processes might be perceived as downsides. Altera’s customers’ ultimate reception of this strategy would significantly center on the firm’s ability to manage these trade-offs effectively, leveraging the value of information and supply chain integration to offer a seamless, responsive, and customer-centric service (Iranmanesh et al., 2023). Research indicates that clients must are kept informed and engaged, ensuring a transparent transition to this new operational standard, wherein the focus is as much on value creation as it is on product delivery (Iranmanesh et al., 2023). Advantages and Disadvantages Altera’s clients may have misgivings concerning the new strategy, especially potential delays in order fulfillment. However, the strategy could offer a positive outcome. Specifically, by translating the cost savings from reduced inventories to price reductions for customers, this approach would foster a better collaborative environment for business transactions (Iranmanesh et al., 2023). The strategy supports greater customization, which means the company can tailor specifications to individual client needs. Additionally, while the innovative approach opens avenues for more vital collaboration between Altera and its clientele, it potentially complicates the buying experience for customers focused more on effectiveness than the niche market specifications of the products. Customers seeking uncomplicated transactions could perceive the collaborative demands as arduous and troublesome. Flextronics Information Disparity and Strategic Leveraging Flextronics has a distinctive position with access to key demand and supply data inaccessible to its clients. This valuable position allows Flextronics to influence collected data for trend analysis, risk mitigation, and resource pooling, developing a mutual relationship with its clients and suppliers (Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). This unique access to information gives the company detailed insights into the supply market production process and a view of logistical challenges and opportunities. Flextronics could provide data-driven data to better assist clients in product development and offer assessments that facilitate the development of products more aligned with current market demands (Jordan & Messner, 2020). Furthermore, the company can employ predictive analytics to predict market shifts, direct its clients through fluctuating demands, support potential savings, and circumvent overproduction and underproduction (Jordan & Messner, 2020). The company can develop risk mitigation strategies to realize more efficient operations and protect clients from unanticipated disruptions (Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). IBM’s Management of its Suppliers for an Effective Pull Strategy IBM enhances its pull strategy’s effectiveness, a strategy built on actual daily demand with information flowing from market to management, by nurturing a robust relationship with its suppliers (Simchi-Levi et al., 2021). Because the pull strategy is based on verified demand, costs are lower as inventory levels are reduced (Simchi-Levi et al., 2021; Xanthopoulos & Koulouriotis, 2021). Because they work with fewer suppliers, IBM can also manage their resources better, as Simchi-Levi et al. (2021) indicated this advantage. References Bedi, J., & Toshniwal, D. (2019). Deep learning framework to forecast electricity demand. Applied Energy, 238 , . Kim, D., Park, Y. S., Kim, H. W., Park, K. S., & Moon, I. K. (2022). 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