A solid introduction to materials management and the tools needed to create a world-class materials management program This nuts-and-bolts guide presents an overview of the inner workings of the materials process, as well as the best practices to achieve a world-class operating system that will help to eliminate ineffective materials management. Coverage includes discussion of material requirements planning, planning parameters, electronic data interchange, and material control graphs and reports, among many other topics. Thorough and practical, Materials Management explains the impact that inadequate inventory control has on a company and how these poor controls can reduce production, cause inefficiencies in labor, create excessive inventory, and increase freight expenses. Stan McDonald (Northville, MI) is an independent consultant on materials management. Throughout his 30-year career, he has held various positions in the supply chain/materials management arena.

This book examines the problem of managing the flow of materials into, through, and out of a system in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of materials management. The subject is crucial for global competitive advantage, as materials constitute the largest single cost factor in manufacturing and service, and their effective management enhances value for money. In this context, inventory is a barometer of materials management effectiveness, along with wastage of materials. The book adopts a comprehensive, integrated systems approach and covers almost all aspects of materials, considering the specification, procurement, storage, handling, issue, use and accounting of materials to get the most out of every dollar invested. Combining conceptual clarity and quantitative rigor, it will be a highly useful guide for practicing managers, academics and researchers in this vital functional area.

Materials management is an essential business function. It is concerned with managing materials, one of the four basic resources (labour, material, equipment, capital). Until recently, it was concerned with purchasing raw materials and very few parts from local markets. Raw materials were used to make most of the parts for making end products. Materials management was regarded as a routine function and was given less importance. But over the years, firms began to procure more and more parts and subassemblies from local as well as global markets. Today over 50% of the revenue of the firms goes for procuring materials, parts and subassemblies from outside. As a result, materials management function has evolved from a clerical buying function into a strategic business function that helps firms to survive and grow. It creates competitive edge by creating superior value by delivering quality product or service on time and offering lower cost by cutting its own cost as well as cutting purchased item cost.Very few of the available texts offer a comprehensive view of the subject & data and examples and cases in the context of Indian industries are limited.The contents of the subject are undergoing rapid changes. Earlier, purchasing was mostly confined to raw materials by manufacturing firms whereas now a large part of it consists of parts, subassemblies and assemblies, beside raw materials. A smaller number of suppliers are preferred now-a-days. Global sourcing is an accepted norm. A change in supplier relations from adversarial to partnership is evident. Lot sizes and lead-times are smaller and there is greater use of information technology.The book is designed to provide comprehensive coverage of the field of materials management by including emerging concepts, practices, tools, techniques, heuristics and quantitative models. Other features of the book include:v Important topics like outsourcing, purchase strategies and enterprise resource planning.v Cases from Indian industries on vendor managed inventory, outsourcing, and spare parts inventory.v Definition of key terms.v Questions at the end of each chapter and answers of selected questions.The book can serve as a text for undergraduate and postgraduate level courses on materials management in the institutes of management, engineering and technology, materials, industrial engineering, operations research and others. It can also serve as a reference for managers, engineers, consultants, and others interested in the field.

Focussed on the importance of an integrated approach to materials management within the framework of the Indian environment, this work presents a comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the subject, such as the operational details of stores, purchase and inventory control as well as procedures and modern mathematical concepts. While dealing with policy aspects of materials management, including the concepts of management by objectives, it offers a lucid explanation of the application of modern scientific management techniques.

This textbook, now in its third edition, continues to provide a compre-hensive coverage of the different aspects of materials management in a student-friendly manner. The book gives a clear introduction to materials management, and discusses topics such as classification, codification, specifications and standardization of materials, which aid in effective purchasing. In view of their economic importance, materials planning and budgeting too have been covered in sufficient detail. Besides explaining the fundamental principles of stores management and materials handling, the text gives an in-depth analysis of inventory control with several illustrative examples. It also highlights the principles of purchasing, nature of purchasing process, value analysis and quality assurance. Intended primarily for the undergraduate and postgraduate students of production engineering/industrial management and engineering, and postgraduate students of management, this book would also be useful to the practising managers. New to this edition • Incorporates two new chapters on: – Supply Chain Management covering practically all the aspects of SCM – Customer Relationship Management • Includes four new case studies pertaining to inventory control applied to supply chain management