E&A is pleased to present the renowned distribution industry consultant, Howard Coleman on April 17, 2012 at Turf Valley Resort & Conference Center in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Howard proposes that radical changes for wholesale distributors and their supply partners are pushing them towards adopting a different approach to managing their product inventory and supply chain costs. Howard’s presentation discusses and challenges the ingrained perceptions in our DNA about supply chain management. The main premise debates the merits of “Push vs. Pull Replenishment” and unlocks the ideal of “sell-one, buy one” inventory/supply chain management.

Howard will bring into focus a strategy for supply-side inventory/supply chain management that is driven by “actual demand” versus forecasts; while providing the opportunity for truly collaborative relationships with suppliers to emerge.

Topics to be covered:

• A brief history of “Lean” and its transition to distribution
• A “basic lean thinking tenet”
• Push vs. Pull – What’s the difference?
• Challenging old assumptions – the change in thinking
• Some new answers to some pretty basic questions
• The impact on inventory and supply chain management
• The effect on suppliers – the “win-win” and alignment of interests
• What should you be doing now?

About Howard Coleman

Howard leads a team of senior consultants who have provided thought leadership to wholesale distributors for over 24 years. Howard’s monthly newsletter is sent to over 6,500 executives and middle managers. Howard is an in-demand speaker at industry events and manages several prominent discussion groups on LinkedIn. He has contributed dozens of articles to industry trade publications and blogs including The Informed Distributor.

E&A customers who register to attend the E&A User Group to be held on April 17 will have the opportunity to hear Howard speak.

To register, contact Tom Birdwell at 410.766.6076 x309.