Forecasting from the Center of the Supply Chain

FORECASTING FROM THE CENTER OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN By Charles Bonomo Knowing which products to forecast and when to keep safety stock is a critical component of managing customer and supplier risk in a supply chain … key ingredients of successful forecasting at Arrow Electronics are aggregation, risk management, collaboration, process and technology … very often patterns emerge when demand data of different customers are aggregated. Arrow Electronics was founded in 1935 as a retailer of RCA vacuum tubes and connectors for radios. We started with a storefront on Radio Row, right in the heart of New York City. Today we are the world’s largest distributor of electronic components and computer products, and a leading provider of services to the electronics industry, with over 10 billion dollars in annual sales and 12,000 employees worldwide. Design services, materials planning, inventory management, programming and assembly services, and a comprehensive suite of online supply chain tools highlight the range of our services. Our mission is to represent our chosen suppliers by assisting our customers in the design, manufacture, and use of electronic products from concept through ...