Supply Chain by the Numbers: Week of December 17 , 2009
   
 

-December 17, 2009

   
 

This Week’s Supply Chain by the Numbers – Nike's Lean Inventories, Sharp's Lower Costs, Copenhagen CO2 War Chest, Timberland Reduces SKU Counts

   
 

The Supply Chain and Logistics Numbers Worth Knowing This Week: Nike Just Does it in Inventory Reduction; Sharp Bets Big on New Factory; Are Developed Country Commitments to Fund CO2 Emissions Reduction in Developing Countries Just Hot Air? Timberland Follows Trail to Fewer SKUs

   
 
 
 

19%

The amount Nike reduced its unit inventories in its latest quarter as announced this week, while sales were down just 4% (in dollars). CFO Don Bair says Nike is "tightly managing the inventory in our supply chain and working with our retail partners to keep sales channels clean."

 
 



 

$100 billion

The annual amount that a group of developed countries now says it will contribute to developing countries to help them reduce carbon emissions, according to reports from this week's UN climate change summit in Denmark. The pledge is not without controversy.

 
 
5-10%

Amount by which Sharp Electronics should be able to reduce its per unit manufacturing costs for LCP panels at its new Sakai manufacturing complex, which is giant in size, and features suppliers producing their components directly in the complex, operating as a "single virtual factory."  The new complex cost as much as $11 billion.

 
 
 
 
1000

The number of SKUs that footwear maker Timberland will carry going forward, down from 1700 previously, as the company thinks a more conservative consumer is here to stay for awhile.