Evidence status: Identity anonymised. Every published number is valid and has been checked against its approved source, period, baseline and context.
Challenge
Aggregate stock can rise while customer availability deteriorates. A broad reduction target can remove the wrong inventory and increase expediting.
Diagnosis
Segment demand, lead time, lifecycle, constraint, customer promise and stock state. Distinguish physical stock from operationally available stock and trace where uncertainty enters.
Rebuild
Change policy by segment, test the service effect, make exceptions visible and verify the result at 30 and 90 days before scaling.
Questions for the reader
- Which inventory is unavailable despite being physically present?
- Where is buffer compensating for unreliable lead time or data?
- Which service definition must be protected?
- What evidence would stop the reduction?