Manufacturing
Planning
Fundamentals.
Additional sessions for manufacturers — building on the common inventory planning foundation to show how inventory decisions connect with production, capacity and customer service.
- 07
- Live sessions
- L1
- Foundation level
- → L2
- Implementation path
The objective
Not advanced production planning. The concepts every owner should understand first.
These sessions don't replace the work you'll do on your own factory floor. They give you the language and the decision frame — strategy, capacity, scheduling, customer service — so that when you reach the Level 2 Implementation Program, the choices you make are deliberate.
Strategy
How MTS, MTO and hybrid shape inventory.
Capacity
When capacity becomes the buffer.
Scheduling
From orders to machine hours.
Inventory Management for Manufacturers
How your manufacturing model decides what inventory has to do.
Introduction to Inventory Management for Different Types of Manufacturing
- Understand how Inventory Management is influenced by Make-to-Stock (MTS), Make-to-Order (MTO) or a Hybrid strategy for different products.
Business outcome
Participants understand how manufacturing strategy influences inventory, customer service and business performance.
Introduction to Production Planning
Why scheduling is the engine of inventory performance.
Scheduling Protects Delivery
- Demonstration of the importance of scheduling to avoid missing deadlines and quote realistic lead times.
Business outcome
Participants understand how scheduling improves delivery performance and connects production decisions to customer promises.
Hidden Cash in Inventory
Find the working capital locked in stock — and release it safely.
Find the Hidden Cash in Your Inventory
- Measure how much working capital is locked in inventory and identify opportunities to release cash without hurting customer service.
Business outcome
Participants can spot where inventory is holding cash and what to review first.
Service Time & Capacity Assessment
Align customer promises with the capacity you actually have.
Introduction to the Concept of Service Time
- Why the Service Time (Lead Time to Customers) is important and how it shapes inventory decisions.
Assessment of Capacity
- Demonstration of how aligned your capacity is with the demand you are promising to customers.
Business outcome
Participants understand how inventory, capacity and service time work together to protect both cash and customer promises.
Demand Patterns & Inventory Policy
Read demand honestly and pick the right policy for each SKU — not one rule for all.
Decode Your Demand Patterns
- Understand demand variability, identify different demand behaviours and learn why relying on averages leads to poor inventory decisions.
Choose the Right Inventory Policy for Every SKU
- Learn when to use different inventory policies based on product characteristics instead of applying one rule across all products.
Business outcome
Participants leave able to segment SKUs by demand behaviour and match each with an inventory policy that fits.
Performance Dashboards & Cash Flow
Track the KPIs that move the P&L — and connect them back to cash.
Build an Inventory Performance Dashboard
- Track the KPIs that drive business performance — Inventory Age, Inventory Turns, Fill Rate, OTIF and Service Levels.
Improve Your Cash Conversion Cycle
- Understand how inventory, supplier credit and customer credit work together to improve cash flow and reduce working capital.
Introduction to Cash Flow Statement
- Understand the cash flow in your business and take informed decisions.
Business outcome
Participants leave with a KPI framework and financial view they can put in front of their leadership team.
Apply to Your Own Business + 1-2-1 Sessions
Leave with an actionable plan, plus dedicated one-on-one time on your problems.
Apply Everything to Your Own Business
- Work on your own products, data and business scenarios so you leave with an actionable inventory improvement plan — not just theory.
Two 1-2-1 Sessions for Understanding the Problems
- In individual sessions, participants discuss their specific problems directly with the coach.
Business outcome
Participants leave with a personalised inventory improvement plan and clarity on their most pressing problems.
What you leave with
Seven things every owner takes home.
A shared language across operations, sales and planning — and a clear view of what L2 implementation will deliver inside your own factory.
- 01Why manufacturing planning matters.
- 02How scheduling improves delivery performance.
- 03Why capacity assessment is important.
- 04How inventory, production and customer service work together.
- 05What can be achieved through implementation in L2.
IIT | CFA | MITx MicroMasters in Supply Chain Management
Ashutosh Goenka, CFA
Business Transformation Coach
Ashutosh works closely with business owners to bring clarity and structure to complex business decisions — especially in areas like inventory, supply chain, and financial optimization.
With deep experience across:
His approach helps founders replace stress and confusion with clear decision-making frameworks.
Ready to give your team the foundation before you implement?
Reserve seats for your operations and planning leads. L1 prepares them for the L2 Implementation Program where the work is done on your own business data.