Imagine that your warehouses are always full of the right goods and work never stops. The push strategy makes this possible. You plan in advance what to ship and in what quantities to prevent downtime. This strategy can be your advantage if used correctly, or you can lose a lot of money if you ignore the risks.
Managers at Sargona Private Capital Ltd describe what a push strategy is, how to get the most out of it, and how to avoid losses
Disadvantages of the push strategy
The main disadvantage is the risk of excess inventory. Too much stock in the warehouse means money tied up in dead weight. Managers at Sargona Private Capital company point out another nuance: loss of flexibility. If the market changes rapidly, goods purchased in advance may become obsolete. In such cases, a push strategy will result in losses. In addition, forecast-based planning requires accurate data and analytics. If the forecast is made at random, nothing good will come of it.
The main goal of the push approach is to ensure that goods are always available where they may be needed. For example, if production operates on a fixed schedule and downtime cannot be allowed, then stocks are built up in advance so that any fluctuations do not halt the process.
Push logistics helps to plan purchasing and production based on forecasts, rather than waiting for the customer to place an order. This is especially important for goods with a long production or delivery cycle. However, be careful: if the forecast turns out to be incorrect, you will end up with excess goods in your warehouse that take up space, tie up money and may become obsolete.
Why you need a push strategy