Stop saying, "that's what I should've done": real-time performance information helps, but must be carefully filtered for relevance.(Business Performance)

Manufacturing Business Technology, March, 2005 by Baer, Tony

In the late 1990s, DaimlerChrysler's MOPAR Parts Division, Centerline, Mich., updated its systems for demand forecasting, dealer demand, global parts ordering, and distribution resources planning. As the sole supplier of parts to dealerships, the unit processes roughly 200,000 order lines daily.

But with all that data, the company needed a way to see the forest through the trees when problems such as inventory imbalances or delivery bottlenecks occur. "It's not like we've ever lacked reporting systems," recounts Jerry Quell, senior manager of inventory and planning. ...