【正文】 arel industry rolled out an extension of the QR program known as continuous replenishment (CR). As shown in Figure , this program incorporated VMI for better inventory control, and it introduced joint forecasting so that producers and retailers could pool their understanding of consumer demand to better predict future sales. Another important aspect of this program was that a replenishment agreement acted as a standing purchase mitment. This allowed members of the program to eliminate individual purchase orders altogether, further streamlining the replenishment process. 持續(xù)補貨加入 VMI機制 在 1980年代後期，服飾產(chǎn)業(yè)進一步延伸 QR的做法成為持續(xù)補貨 (continuous replenishment, CR)。 Retail Replenishment Programs(零售補貨方 ) programs attack plexity and variability Like the JIT programs described earlier, retail replenishment programs reflect a continuing effort to simplify and stabilize supply chain flows. For example, the elimination of orders in continuous replenishment removed a major source of time and cost that added no value to the end consumer. These programs also pioneered important techniques for coping with variability, including some that aren39。除使用即時資料進行直接通訊外，商業(yè)夥伴間採 用中央伺服器存放可供檢視及更新的共享計畫與預測資訊。這些 絢爛的回顧，更在許多商業(yè)媒體持續(xù)不斷報導過去 20年間，竭盡力量消減 存貨產(chǎn)生的顯著經(jīng)濟效益所強化。 the problem is subtler than that. The inventory levels of the panies participating in these programs have, in fact, dropped, but it now appears that most of those reductions were achieved by displacing inventory within the chain rather than actually eliminating it. This may be good for the panies reporting success, but it39。這項努力的規(guī)模 非常巨大： WalMart的貨車每週載運 5,000萬個棧板的貨物到占地 5億平方 呎的零售通路，每天提供 1,500萬位顧客服務。這些要求直接造成生產(chǎn)商製成品存貨 的增加，並直接反映在數(shù)據(jù)上。 The Problem with Programs(方案的問題 ) JIT also pushes inventory up the chain This pattern of pushing inventory up the chain is also found in JIT programs. Here again, requiring suppliers to make precisely timed deliveries and respond rapidly to changing consumption reduces a producer39。 it is reductions in raw materials and WIP inventories that have kept total inventories from rising. Of course, increasing the pressure on suppliers to hold inventory to the last minute and respond rapidly to demand signals requires them to keep more finished goods on hand, and so on, up the chain. In short, the dramatic reductions in inventory achieved at the retail level have e, in large part. from pushing inventory up the chain, not from taking it out of the chain. 製造商將問類推往上游 當然，製造商可以藉由平準化內(nèi)部作業(yè)，要求供應商配合及時供貨，並因 而降低自己的物料與半製品存貨，某種程度地舒緩來自顧客的壓力。s massive scale also allows it to dictate terms to manufacturers, reversing the historical dominance of producers in the supply chains for consumer goods. For example, panies that want access to WalMart39。這些方案可能試圖在供應鏈中創(chuàng)造一種新的合作境界，以期 整合各公司成為真正的交易夥伴，不過猶如企業(yè)常規(guī)，這類合作的利益多 半落在具有關鍵主導權的成員 (dominant party)身上。這確實是令人欽佩的成果，也使得電腦產(chǎn)業(yè)的價格大 幅下滑。 CPFR要求企業(yè)問分享非常詳細的作業(yè)資訊， 而很多企業(yè)不願意這樣做。最顯著的是，銷售資料即時運 用可以讓零售商快速回應顧客購買型態(tài)的變動，並且如再加上聯(lián)合預測， 可以讓零售商在顧客購買型態(tài)變動對商店造成衝擊之前，預先做好準備。 Retail Replenishment Programs(零售補貨方 ) Continuous replenishment added VMI Retail Replenishment Programs Retail Replenishment Programs(零售補貨方 ) ECR added category management In 1993, the grocery industry launched its own version of continuous replenishment, calling it the efficient consumerresponse (ECR) program. ECR39。 Retail Replenishment Programs(零售補貨方 ) Quick response applies JIT to the retail link In addition to VMI, several other programs have been developed to smooth the flow of goods through retail stores. One of the earliest was the quick response (QR) program, an effort on the part of the apparel industry in the 1980s to bine some of the techniques of JIT with technologies for monitoring inventory levels in real time. As shown in Figure , electronic point of sale (POS) systems automatically captured data about clothing sales as they occurred, then transmitted this data to producers using electronic data interchange (EDI) connections. Producers responded with daily shipments of pretagged items that could go directly from their trucks to the selling floor. 快速回應將及時制應用在零售連結(jié)上 除了供應商管理存貨 (VMII)之外；還有一些已經(jīng)發(fā)展出來的方案，可以讓 貨物流通到零售店的過程更為順暢。不過這種做法對生產(chǎn)者而言，不會是第一個選擇方案，因為他必須 等候更長的時間來取得貨款。 Retail Replenishment Programs(零售補貨方 ) Early efforts shifted control of inventory The first generation of retail replenishment programs was based on shifting the control of inventories (Figure ). In the traditional arrangement, retailers manage their own inventories and replenish them as they see fit. The problem with this arrangement is that producers are often in a better position than retailers to track emerging patterns in demand. In addition, producers can remove cost and uncertainty from this link in the chain by centralizing control of the replenishment process. One way to leverage these advantages is consignment, in which producers retain both ownership and control over inventories of their products at a retailer39。 Retail Replenishment Programs(零售補貨方 ) Retail replenishment is a tough problem The second major class of supply chain programs deals with the distribution side, and is concerned with replenishing retail inventories Historically, the link between retail stores and their immediate suppliers has been a difficult juncture in the supply chain. In the past, retail inventories were managed by independent storeowners, who often lacked sophisticated tools for forecasting demand and planning replenishment. Yet this is precisely the point in the chain that can be the hardest to manage because it is the first point to feel the impact of changing consumer preferences. It is also the point where the chain bees visible to the consumer, so it39。 for the right kind of production environment, JIT can lead to dramatic