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Tactical Shipping and Scheduling at Polaroid with Dual Lead-Times

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Tactical Shipping and Scheduling at Polaroid with Dual Lead-Times Tactical Shipping and Scheduling at Polaroid with Dual Lead-Times Kermit THREATTE and Stephen C. GRAVES, MIT This paper focuses on the development and validation of a tactical model that makes production-scheduling recommendations and specifies shipping options to reduce Abstract—We report on a project with Polaroid Corporation in total supply chain cost. The paper describes Polaroid, reviews which we developed a supply chain model to provide decision literature on inventory management with two replenishment support for planning production and transportation. Production modes, and develops a simple static network model that can be occurs in Asia to serve world-wide demand. Production planners used for decision support. We exercise the model by must determine both the production quantities as well as simulation to determine the relationship between whether to ship by sea or by air. We develop a model to optimize transportation costs, inventory costs, forecast error and a static version of this problem and then show how to use this manufacturing capacity in a typical framework where static model in a dynamic setting. We test the model with data production and shipping decisions are made periodically. from Polaroid and show its effectiveness. Index Terms—dual replenishment modes, inventory and Finally the paper recommends a course of action for Polaroid transportation planning, supply chain application, supply chain regarding model implementation. modeling II. BACKGROUND I. INTRODUCTION Polaroid is the leading instant imaging company in the world Many U.S. companies attempt to reduce labor costs by and is the only manufacturer of traditional instant cameras and 1 shifting production to overseas locations with lower wage film in the United States, with revenues in 2000 of $1.85 billion. rates. This decision greatly impacts supply chain performance, The Company's principal products are instant film, instant and increasing the lead times for replenishing finished goods. One digital cameras, digital peripherals and secure identification counter measure is to use priority shipping via air, instead of systems with software and system solutions. normal modes of transport (ocean, rail, truck) to reduce the lead The Company’s products divide into two segments, times. business solutions and consumer products. Business This paper reports on a project undertaken with Polaroid solutions include photo ID systems (primarily used by Corporation, the world leader in instant photography. Polaroid corporations and government agencies), digital peripherals had shifted the production of its consumer-branded cameras to (scanners, photo quality printers, high-end digital cameras and Asia. To address the increasing transportation costs specialty digital camera), and high-end instant photo cameras associated with frequent air shipments, the transportation and equipment. Consumer products include a broad line of group at Polaroid began an initiative to develop a shipping hand held instant cameras, digital cameras, 35mm cameras and decision support model. The first co-author was hired as an a wide assortment of media such as instant and 35mm film, 2 intern during the summer of 2000, and conducted subsequent videocassettes, and digital printing media. Because research during the 2000-2001 academic year to develop and consumer products account for the majority of sales, test a model for Polaroid to use for tactical shipping and Polaroid’s largest customers are major U.S retailers, production decisions. supermarket chains and drug stores. Polaroid’s business products are sold through specialty channels and also direct channels within the company. October 2001. This work was supported in part by the MIT Leaders The Company is organized into five segments: the Americas for Manufacturing Program, Polaroid Corporation and the Singapore- Region, the European Region, the Asia Pacific Region, Global MIT Alliance. Kermit Threatte completed his S.M. at the MIT Operations Research Operations, and Research and Development. The regions Center, and is now with Analytics Operations Engineering, Inc., Boston focus on sales and marketing, while global operations MA. Stephen C. Graves is with the Sloan School of Management and the Engineering System Division at MIT, Cambridge MA 02139 USA 1 2000 Polaroid Corporation 10K, Income Statement (email: [email protected]). 2 Polaroid Corporation 10K centralizes procurement, logistics and manufacturing. R&D through an Electronic Data Interface (EDI) system, which is provides engineering research and development for all the instantly delivered to the service rep and company distribution regions, as product functionality is not necessarily region centers. The service representative ensures that the orders are specific. The Americas Region covers to the Western realistic and attainable (i.e. the time frame and terms of the Hemisphere. The European Region is comprised of the United order are feasible and meet contract specifications) and that Kingdom, Continental Europe, Russia, Africa, and the Middle the distribution centers are taking appropriate action to meet East. The Asia Pacific Region includes Japan, Australia and the order. The role of the service rep becomes more critical the majority of the Asian continent. when there is a problem with an order. It is their responsibility Polaroid has not been a strong financial performer in the last to expedite orders that were not processed on time, and to 11 years, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in handle stock-outs with the customer. October 2001. Polaroid’s revenue tailed off in the late 1990’s as Packaging and handling: Polaroid has three major the market for Polaroid’s traditional consumer instant cameras distribution centers in the U. S., located in Oak Brook IL, became saturated. Polaroid responded by marketing new lines Anaheim CA, and Norton MA, which store finished goods of small, trendy and relatively inexpensive cameras (Pop-shots, inventory for delivery to the customer. Norton also has a I-zone, Joycam) that would appeal to the youth market. centralized packaging operation. Retailers typically order Polaroid also shifted much of its focus to digital technology, Polaroid products in unique and specially design package focusing on the sale of high technology digital cameras. platforms. These package configurations change frequently These two newer product categories account for nearly 25% of for various special offers or promotions retailers have sales and have offset the decline in traditional products to throughout the year. Hence bulk cameras are not necessarily some extent. However, sales of these new products have many finished goods to the retailer. Rather, there is a large explosion disadvantages compared to Polaroid’s traditional instant of specific product codes at the retail distribution level. To camera lines. The higher-growth youth-focus instant cameras reduce inventory, Polaroid postpones the packaging step until deliver smaller margins, have shorter life cycles and higher a customer order is received. Typically two weeks is allotted incidence of obsolescence, and typically use lower margin film. for packaging and delivery of product. Though they have higher margins, the digital cameras do not Transportation: The transportation group coordinates give Polaroid the benefit of a steady stream of film revenue, deliveries of finished goods from the distribution centers to the and are also characterized by short product life cycles and high retailers, movement of product between distribution centers, costs of obsolescence. and international and national transshipments of manufactured This trend of poor performance and new product mix has components. Most deliveries and product movement from the forced Polaroid to reduce costs, streamline operations and find distribution centers are arranged through third party truckload ways to increase supply chain flexibility. Polaroid shifted companies, though the company does own and operate a small camera production to the Far East, and shut down U.S. fleet of its own trucks. Overseas transshipments are air manufacturing operations in an attempt to increase flexibility freighted or shipped on ocean carriers by the container load. and reduce costs. Polaroid has also tried to improve its Products arriving by ocean from Asia typically are shipped to financial performance through corporate wide inventory Anaheim, transferred to railcars and then shipped to Norton. reductions. Sea shipments from Europe are sent to Boston or New York and are then trucked to Norton. Air shipments from most A. Logistics at Polaroid places worldwide arrive at JFK airport in New York and are Polaroid’s logistics organization is part of the Company’s trucked to the Norton distribution center. Global Operations segment, with primary responsibility for the There are two possible modes of ocean transport, less than movement of raw materials and product between container load (LCL) shipments and container load shipments. manufacturing sites and from finished goods manufacturing to LCL shipments have longer lead times than container load the retailers. Production planning, forecasting, and inventory shipments , as items must go through a consolidation stage management (except for specialty package inventory) are not prior to shipment and after delivery. They also have a higher responsibilities of the logis tics organization. Logistics has per unit cost due to the additional tracking and handling three primary functions, customer service, packaging
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