APICS CPIM-Part-2 Exam With Confidence Using Practice Dumps

Compared to traditional supplier relationships, a more strategic view of supplier relationships would require maintaining communication based on trust. Trust is a key factor that enables effective collaboration, information sharing, problem solving, and innovation between supply chain partners12. Trust can also reduce transaction costs, conflicts, and opportunism, and increase commitment, loyalty, and performance34. Therefore, maintaining communication based on trust is essential for developing and sustaining strategic supplier relationships that can create value and competitive advantage for both parties.

The other options are not necessarily required for a more strategic view of supplier relationships, because they are either insufficient or irrelevant. Offering the supplier more business may increase the volume or frequency of transactions, but it does not guarantee a more strategic or long-term relationship. Adopting electronic data interchange (EDI) may improve the efficiency or accuracy of information exchange, but it does not ensure a more collaborative or innovative relationship. Implementing concurrent engineering may enhance the product design or development process, but it does not address the other aspects of a strategic relationship, such as quality, delivery, or risk management.

 Long lead-time items are items that take a long time to procure, produce, or deliver. Stable demand means that the demand for these items is predictable and does not fluctuate much over time. A supply chain that supports long lead-time items with stable demand would best be designed to position inventory close to the consumer, because this would reduce the delivery time and improve the customer service level. Positioning inventory close to the consumer also reduces the transportation costs and risks associated with long-distance shipments. A supply chain that uses a pull system, which is based on actual customer orders rather than forecasts, may not be suitable for long lead-time items, because it may not be able to meet the customer demand in a timely manner. A supply chain that is linked through an enterprise resources planning (ERP) system, which is a software system that integrates various business functions and processes, may improve the visibility and coordination of the supply chain, but it does not necessarily reduce the lead time or position inventory close to the consumer. A supply chain that is designed to be responsive, which means that it can quickly adapt to changes in demand or other variables, may not be necessary for long lead-time items with stable demand, because these items have low demand uncertainty and variability. References:

• Inventory Positioning | Supply Chain Resource Cooperative
• Push System vs. Pull System: Adopting A Hybrid Approach To MRP
• What Is Inventory Positioning in Supply Chain Management?

Reducing distribution network inventory days of supply will have the impact of increasing turnovers and reducing cash-to-cash cycle time. Distribution network inventory days of supply is a measure of how long it takes for a company to sell its entire inventory in its distribution network, which includes the warehouses and transportation systems that deliver the products to the customers1. It is calculated by dividing the average inventory by the cost of sales per day1. A lower distribution network inventory days of supply indicates that the company is selling its inventory faster and more efficiently, while a higher distribution network inventory days of supply indicates that the company is holding too much inventory or having difficulty selling its products.

Turnovers, also known as inventory turnover or stock turnover, is a measure of how many times a company sells and replaces its inventory in a given period. It is calculated by dividing the cost of goods sold by the average inventory2. A higher turnover indicates that the company is selling its inventory quickly and efficiently, while a lower turnover indicates that the company is holding too much inventory or having difficulty selling its products.

Cash-to-cash cycle time, also known as cash conversion cycle or net operating cycle, is a measure of how long it takes for a company to convert its cash outflows into cash inflows. It is calculated by adding the days sales outstanding (DSO), which is the average time it takes for customers to pay for their purchases, and the distribution network inventory days of supply, and subtracting the days payable outstanding (DPO), which is the average time it takes for the company to pay its suppliers3. A shorter cash-to-cash cycle time indicates that the company is managing its cash flow more effectively, while a longer cash-to-cash cycle time indicates that the company is tying up more cash in its operations.

Therefore, reducing distribution network inventory days of supply will have the impact of increasing turnovers and reducing cash-to-cash cycle time, as it will decrease the average inventory level, increase the cost of sales per day, and decrease the distribution network inventory days of supply component in the cash-to-cash cycle time formula. This will improve the efficiency and profitability of the company’s operations and reduce its working capital needs.

References : Inventory Days Of Supply | Supply Chain KPI Library | Profit.co; Inventory Turnover Ratio | Formula | Calculator (Updated 2021); Cash Conversion Cycle - CCC.