Walmart exclusive and innovative Inventory practices ..

Walmart logo ..

Walmart Logo - Save Money, Live Better .. What does this mean ?? Walmart's main focus was, is and always will be to sell products at low rates to help customers save money. Moreover the items sold are not cheap, they are high quality products which will help the customers lead better lives too.

Here are a few web links on Walmart's innovative inventory management practices that have helped them become not only the largest retailer of the world, but also the largest business conglomerate of the world.  

Walmart's succesful SCM (click here..) (Compulsory reading material for students)

Vendor Managed Inventory video ( click here)

Strategic Sourcing video (click here..)

Use of Technology video (click here..)

Shoplifting at Walmart, we have not heard much about it. Is it a major problem ?? Not yet. As is common with all other supermarkets and hyper marts, Walmart too has its own pilferage issues, which they are trying to solve partly by using technology by increasing surveillance.

We played an interesting Role Play game in the class. The students in five teams were asked to represent the different departments / areas from Walmart who were specialised in some of the top world-class INNOVATIVE inventory management practices like

1. Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI)
2. Strategic Sourcing,
3. Every Day Low Pricing (EDLP)
4. Extensive of Information technology systems (RFID etc.) and
5. Cross Docking. 

The students were representing Walmart team members who were to make a presentation / discussion with Ratan Tata representing Tata Sons at Walmart HQ in Arkansas convincing why Walmart should tie up with Tata instead of doing it alone in India in physical commerce.

Great words from Ratan Tata, the humble and simple
doyen of the Tata business empire ..

The earlier Walmart collaborator Bharti was a big disgrace for Walmart and Tata's collaborator Target has also not helped Tata progress the way it was meant to progress. That is when Tata and Walmart decided to have discussions and this brought Ratan Tata to Arkansas to Walmart HQ. The threat of Amazon in the electronic retailing space was very unsettling for both Tata and Walmart.Walmart had joined hands with Flipkart from India to handle Amazon in the electronic retailing space in India.

Ratan Tata interacted with each of the 5 teams on their specific world-class SCM strategies as to why Tata should resort to these strategies in India and how it would benefit Tata's Indian operations of Star Bazar, the physical commerce wing of Tata in India.

The students were very excited to meet the dynamic, energetic, handsome and flamboyant former Chairman of Tata Sons and we’re ready with answers to the questions asked by Ratan Tata. Ratan Tata has gone back to India convinced and confident with his interactions and with hopes that he will be able to start collaboration with Walmart in India. 

george..