Has Inventory Really Gone Out of Style? | SupplyChainBrain

Has Inventory Really Gone Out of Style?

Jim Tompkins, President & CEO, Tompkins International

March 26, 2013

Fewer goods are in warehouses and distribution centers than ever before, due to the growth of high-tech forecasting tools and Web-based "cloud" computing. Are we seeing the end of inventory?

Read blog here

Related Content

Related Videos

Featured Product

Photo: iStock/Anastasiia Yanishevska

How a Leading U.S. Floral Distribution Company Reduced Warehouse Labor Costs by 45% with RFID

Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

Mobile geolocation service for track delivery, cargo shipment and freight transportation. Logistic Import Export business (Elements of this image furnished by NASA)

Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

Franchise business e-commerce online e-marketplace or digital marketing branch expansion for growth or use technology to analyze product consumer data website management plan for sale service concept.

Moving Robots Site-to-Site

Stolen Logins Are Driving the Next Wave of Supply Chain Breaches

Treat access with the same seriousness given to the code itself, and the rest of the work gets considerably easier.

Why Your Best Supplier May Be Your Greatest Risk

The objective of procurement isn’t only to find the best suppliers; it’s to build a supply network that will continue to deliver when the unexpected happens.

The 'Zero Sum Game' of the U.S. Trade War With Canada

The true costs of the Trump administration's trade war with Canada could linger long after any tariffs are lifted.

Photo: iStock / Delpixart

Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd Resume Four Routes Through Suez Canal

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd say that they plan to continue monitoring the security situation in the Middle East, and that any changes to services will depend on the ongoing stability of the Red Sea region.

Photo: iStock / IgorSPb

U.S. Diesel Prices Crest $6 For First Time Ever

The national average for diesel hit $6.06 a gallon on September 10, up from $5.85 a gallon the previous week, and from $3.71 at that same time in 2025.

Photo: iStock.com/SupawadeeAdam

EPA to End Rules on Power Plant Emissions

The government agency added that it is seeking to get rid of all greenhouse gas rules for the power sector, and will take steps to prevent future administrations from regulating power plant emissions.

Photo: iStock.com/kamilpetran

Amazon Suspends Work with 21 Air after Crash

Investigators released details that a pilot onboard the cargo plane noted that it was going too fast before it overshot the runway.

Emergency personnel respond near the site of an Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport (MIA) in Miami, Florida, US, on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. The Boeing 767-300, operated by 21 Air as Prime Air Flight 7598, overshot the runway and burst into flames, killing at least five people and shutting down the airport's runways. Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg

U.S. Government to Invest $450M in Tungsten Production

The investment, which gives the U.S. government a 20% stake in the publicly traded company, is characterized as strengthening domestic tungsten capacity.

Wolframite, the primary ore for tungsten. Photo: iStock/Wirestock

In the Game of Contract Chicken, Consumers Have the Most To Lose

Businesses have spent years preparing for supply chain disruptions. Few are prepared for a reality where suppliers decide long-term contracts no longer make sense.

Photo: iStock/mustafaU

Watch: How U.S. Manufacturing Is Weathering Tariff Turmoil

Felix Faerber, shareholder at the law firm of Baker Donelson, discusses how manufacturers are coping with endless tariffs, high interest rates and other unpredictabilities.

How Us Manufacturing Is Weathering Tariff Turmoil

U.K. Government Will Buy Speciality Steel U.K.

The news marks a continued rough period for steelmaking in the U.K.

Scunthorpe steel works, U.K. Photo: iStock/CHUNYIP WONG

Cadbury Cuts Two Months off its Supply Chain Lead Time in SE Asia

Making chocolate crumb in Malaysia instead of importing it from Australia and South Africa cuts at least two months from Cadbury's supply chain lead time in Southeast Asia.

Photo: iStock/WILLSIE

Page 1 of 371