The Bullwhip Effect 101. 5 min video, 16k views.

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The Bullwhip Effect 101.

The bullwhip effect is a phenomenon that can occur in supply chain management, in which small changes in demand at the retail level can lead to larger and more volatile changes in demand at the wholesale and manufacturing levels. This can result in overproduction, excess inventory, and inefficient use of resources.

There are several factors that can contribute to the bullwhip effect, including:

Order batching: When orders are placed in large batches rather than on a regular basis, it can lead to fluctuations in demand. For example, if a retailer places a large order for a product every six months, rather than placing smaller orders on a weekly or monthly basis, this can result in increased demand at the wholesale and manufacturing levels.
Forecast errors: If demand is difficult to predict, it can lead to errors in forecasting, which can result in overproduction or underproduction.
Price fluctuations: Changes in price can affect demand and can lead to fluctuations in the supply chain.
Information delays: If there are delays in the flow of information between different levels of the supply chain, it can lead to inaccurate demand forecasts and production decisions.

To mitigate the bullwhip effect, it is important for companies to implement strategies to improve the flow of information and demand forecasting, such as using just-in-time production methods, implementing a pull-based production system, and using advanced analytics to improve demand prediction.

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