Cash flow optimazation through inventory management improvements at Atlantis foundries

Abstract

Investor focus has shifted in last decade from a mere earnings related attention to a cash emphasis finding its expression in the frequent mention of proverbs such as "Cash is king" in daily newspapers. The realization that reported earnings are in a large extent subject to accounting decisions based on the applied GAAP brought cash increasingly in shareholder focus. Capital commitments in the manufacturing environment, as well as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) buyer market in the global automotive components industry, cause corporations to focus on inventory management in order to improve their cash position. At the same time, tight delivery targets demand a higher delivery readiness at low stock at low stock levels from corporations. A case study on castings manufacturer Atlantis Foundries (AF) located in Atlantis, South Africa, has been undertaken to prove a historical correlation between inventory developments and a deterioration in the net cash position. Based on that finding, a case specific set of key performance indicators (KPI) has been developed in order to measure improvements in inventory management measures and their impact on cash flow.