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her materials
are required during the production process. But we cannot identify them on the p
roduct.
These are known as indirect inventories. In our discussion of inventories, in th
is chapter, we
only discuss about the direct inventories.
Inventories may also be classified depending their nature of use. They are:
(i) Fluctuation Inventories: These inventories are carried out to safeguard the
fluctuation in
demand, non-delivery of material in time due to extended lead-time. These are so
me times
called as Safety stock or reserves. In real world inventory situations, the mate
rial may not
be received in time as expected due to trouble in transport system or some times
, the demand
for a certain material may increase unexpectedly. To safeguard such situations,
safety stocks
are maintained. The level of this stock will fluctuate depending on the demand a
nd lead-time
etc.
(ii) Anticipation inventory: When there is an indication that the demand for com
pany s product
is going to be increased in the coming season, a large stock of material is stor
ed in anticipation.
Some times in anticipation of raising prices, the material is stocked. Such inve
ntories, which
are stocked in anticipation of raising demand or raising rises, are known as ant
icipation
inventories.
(iii) Lot size inventory or Cycle inventories :This situation happens in batch p
roduction system.
In this system products are produced in economic batch quantities. It some time
happens
that the materials are procured in quantities larger than the economic quantitie
s to meet the
fluctuation in demand. In such cases the excess materials are stocked, which are
known as
lot size or cycle inventories.
(iv) Transportation Inventories: When an item is ordered and purchased they are
to be received
from the supplier, who is at a far of distance. The materials are shipped or loa
ded to a
transport vehicle and it will be in the vehicle until it is delivered to the rec
eiver. Similarly,
when a finished product is sent to the customer by a transport vehicle it cannot
be used by
the purchaser until he receives it. Such inventories, which are in transit, are
known as
Transportation inventories.
(v) Decoupling inventories: These inventories are stocked in the manufacturing p
lant as a
precaution, in case the semi finished from one machine does not come to the next
machine,
this stock is used to continue a production. Such items are known as decoupling
inventories.
8.3. COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH INVENTORY
While maintaining the inventories, we will come across certain costs associated
with inventory, which
are known as economic parameters. Most important of them are discussed below:
(A) Inventory Carrying Charges, or Inventory Carrying Cost or Holding Cost or St
orage
Cost (C1) or (i%):upee of the sales
revenue, 65 paise are spent on materials. Hence, small change in material costs
can result in large sums
of money saved or lost. Inventory control should, therefore, be considered as a
function of prime
importance for our industrial economy.
Inventory control provides tools and techniques, most of which are very simple t
o reduce/control
the materials cost substantially. A large portion of revenue (65 percent) is exp
osed to the techniques,
correspondingly large savings result when they are applied than when attempts ar
e made to saver on
other items of expenditure like wages and salaries which are about 16 percent or
overheads which may
be 20 percent. By careful financial analysis, it is shown that a 5 percent reduc
tion in material costs will
result in increased profits equivalent to a 36 percent increase in sales.
8.2. DEFINITION OF INVENTORY AND INVENTORY CONTROL
The word inventory means a physical stock of material or goods or commodities or
other economic
resources that are stored or reserved or kept in stock or in hand for smooth and
efficient
running of future affairs of an organization at the minimum cost of funds or cap
ital blocked in
the form of materials or goods (Inventories).