Inventory and suppliers
When a customer stops the line, it pays only for what it had confirmed or authorised
7 November 2026, 08:13
Stellantis warns that a shortage of an electronic component may halt some Fiat lines in Italy until the end of the year. For anyone supplying an assembly line the question is who pays for parts already made and materials already bought, and the answer lies in the delivery schedule, which mixes commitments and forecasts.
Safety stock is not set by falling orders
5 November 2026, 08:13
The monthly survey of purchasing managers says that in October Italian factories received fewer orders and slimmed down their warehouses, and that some of them ate into the reserves set aside when the conflict in the Middle East broke out, while suppliers' deliveries kept being interrupted. The stock of an item is made of two parts that respond to different causes: which one shrinks when demand falls, which one must be protected when supplies become uncertain, and what to enter in the management software.
A fall in the price of a raw material reaches the margin late
11 October 2026, 09:46
On 9 October the United States Department of Agriculture raised its estimate of the American maize harvest, and on the Chicago exchange the price of maize for December delivery fell by about 4 per cent in a single day. If purchases become cheaper in Italy too, those who buy maize will see the saving in their accounts with a delay, because they must first use up the stock they have already bought.
Japan's rice has gone from shortage to glut: stock bought out of fear is paid for twice
29 September 2026, 09:29
In two years Japan has gone from empty shelves to a rice surplus, and today growers are selling below the cost of production. It is the path of every stock built up out of fear, in business too: it is paid for once in cash, when it is bought, and a second time in the accounts, when the price falls.
Profit cannot be paid into the bank
20 September 2026, 17:38
A company can close the year in profit and not have the money to pay its suppliers. It is not an accounting paradox: it is a matter of timing, and it can be measured before it happens.
Your stock is your bank. But without the IBAN
Training
In a business, what seems “normal” is often what locks up liquidity. And among all the invisible blockages, there is one that keeps making itself felt without saying a word: inventory.
How to (really) reorganise a company: case history no. 2
Training
A company that chose to put its house in order, and discovered that efficiency can be the key to competitiveness.
The purchasing department does not just place orders
Training
In truly well-organised companies, the Purchasing Manager is not simply someone who carries out tasks but a strategic role.
The companies that really grow are not the ones that work harder
Training
They are the ones that work best, because continuous improvement does not come from improvisation but from clear, shared and verifiable company procedures.
Optimising cash flows: much more than “getting on with the bank”
Training
Financial statements and performance indicators help us understand the health of the company, but there is another aspect that separates those who react from those who anticipate: the management of cash flows.
Why the cash flow statement is an essential tool
Training
The balance sheet and the profit and loss account say a great deal about a company.