Before the Covid‑19 pandemic, partners typically sold printers and accessories together, keeping inventory balanced. When supply shortages disrupted printer production, the company could no longer manufacture enough printers to meet demand. Distributors began accumulating backorders for printers but continued ordering accessories as usual. Without printers to install, accessory inventory continued to grow, creating a mismatch between supply and demand. Although the company collected sales and inventory data from partners and quickly identified a growing discrepancy between days‑on‑hand inventory and accessory sales‑out, it lacked visibility into partner order backlogs. This limited insight made it difficult to respond effectively to shifting demand, increasing the risk of excess inventory

Join for free to read