Was in #Target, #Walmart, and another store today. Still no TP.

So I remember POM class (production and operations management) being very thrilled about JIT / Kanban type systems, where product was not stored in a warehouse, but delivered just before it was needed. The problem with that (known even back when I was in college and university) is that any hiccups or unforeseen changes leave your supply chain struggling to catch up.

I thought about this late last year, when Walmart put up signs restricting purchases of dishwashing detergent because there was a nationwide shortage. I found myself wondering how it was possible to run short of such a substance for months at a time. My conclusion at the time was that "lean manufacturing" and JIT inventories were to blame.

The world is not the stable, predictable place we like to imagine. It would be wise of business managers to build some slack into their processes to help even things out.