www.ebook3000.com Advance Praise for The Missing Links “The Missing Links is a business novel by Caroline Mondon It is similar to The Goal by Dr Eli Goldratt, probably the best selling business novel ever written It clearly explains the process necessary for a company to adopt the latest thinking about planning and management as the organization struggles to adapt to the changing needs of customers as they become ever more demanding Caroline has written a compelling story about a fictional, privately held manufacturing company that is facing serious challenges when the owner of the company suddenly dies, and his daughter is left to take over the business This book can be read by anyone with an interest in how businesses can be run more efficiently and effectively This book is already a best-selling business novel in France, and I have no doubt that it will be just as successful in the English version.” Keith Launchbury, CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, CDDP Past President of APICS, the premier professional association for supply chain management “For more than 15 years, I have been involved with education in the field of supply chain management The Missing Links has been a real inspiration for showing how to explain both fundamental and advanced concepts of business management, supply chain management, and innovation The storyline of the book makes it easy to understand the importance and leverage of supply chain management concepts, even for smaller companies It was a pleasure reading about the development and transformation of a small traditional company into a modern, nextcentury enterprise The way innovative concepts and methods have been applied in the book is logical and helps readers quickly get over a steep learning curve I will definitely recommend this book to my supply chain management students.” Andrea Walbert, CPIM, CSCP, PLS, CDDP Managing Partner, PMI (Production Management Institute) GmbH “… like the clever plot of this detective novel which has clues weaving their way through the story, this book uncovers the mystery of how to implement best practices, and improve business processes and operations—all the while keeping you guessing as to ‘Who did it?’ Topical, relevant, and practical advice encompassed in a step-by-step methodology wrapped in a captivating storyline, which starts by turning the first page.” Tracy Lyn Cheetham, CPIM, CSCP, SCOR-P, CDDP, PLS ParadoxSolve—APICS Instructor and TFC Facilitator “The Missing Links is a story of discovery, not unlike Alex Rogo’s journey in Eli Goldratt’s The Goal Today, many companies, not just in charming rural France, are plagued by similar problems: poor results, a disillusioned workforce, overwhelming complexity, variability, lost focus, and unclear priorities across all levels of operations and management Héloïse, Caroline Mondon’s heroine, a passionate musician, sets out to save her family’s business and has the courage to face the inconsistencies and gaps between the way the business should work and reality The solution to these is not just an operational one, and it is not easily found In addition to effectively managing complexity and variability in her supply chain with a state-of-the-art Demand Driven Operating Model, she looks beyond planning and control to leadership and personal development Making complexity manageable through focused infusion of simplicity, driving out variability through buffering, replacing backward-looking accounting with relevant information for decision making, eliminating conflicts through win-win solutions, and helping people make a positive contribution through unambiguous and inviting leadership: these are the links that turn an ailing enterprise around to reach a state of harmony and high operational and financial performance When we leave our heroes at the last page, let’s take these insights to our own workplaces and add the missing links to make our own supply chains strong, for the benefits of our customers, our people, our societies, and our shareholders.” Christoph Lenhartz Managing Director, Catena Strategies Master Instructor, Demand Driven Institute Member of the Board, Theory of Constraints International Certification Organization “I wish all textbooks were written like this one! The Missing Links is easy to read and understand, written as a realistic story about the development of a factory, and set up as a detective story The work is great for remembering supply chain management concepts As an NLP Master Trainer and International Leadership Trainer, I especially enjoyed Caroline’s use of metaphors to enhance understanding and to use as memory hooks This shows how you can ‘walk your talk,’ whether you are a president of a company or a student I learned a thing or two about French culture as well, as an extra bonus Thanks, Caroline, for sharing your extensive know-how in this pleasant way!” Eva Hyllstam NLP Master Trainer and International Leadership Trainer, Business Owner, World Trade Center Gothenburg, Sweden www.ebook3000.com The Missing Links A Demand Driven Supply Chain Detective Novel www.ebook3000.com The Missing Links A Demand Driven Supply Chain Detective Novel Caroline Mondon INDUSTRIAL PRESS INC Industrial Press, Inc 32 Haviland Street, Suite South Norwalk, Connecticut 06854 Tel: 203-956-5593 Toll-Free: 888-528-7852 E-mail: info@industrialpress.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Mondon, Caroline, author Title: The missing links: a demand driven supply chain detective novel / Caroline Mondon Description: South Norwalk, Connecticut: Industrial Press, Inc., [2016] Identifiers: LCCN 2016025647 (print) | LCCN 2016026865 (ebook) | ISBN 9780831136079 (softcover) | ISBN 9780831193874 (ePDF) | ISBN 9780831193881 (ePub) | ISBN 9780831193898 (eMobi) Subjects: LCSH: Inventory control | Materials management | Production control Classification: LCC TS160 M595 2016 (print) | LCC TS160 (ebook) | DDC 658.7—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016025647 ISBN print: ISBN ePUB: ISBN eMOBI: ISBN ePDF: 978-0-8311-3607-9 978-0-8311-9388-1 978-0-8311-9389-8 978-0-8311-9387-4 Copyright © 2016 by Industrial Press, Inc All rights reserved This book, or any parts thereof, with the exception of those figures in the public domain, may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without the permission of the copyright holders Sponsoring Editor: Judy Bass Translator and Editor: Alicia Peres (www.aliciaperes.ca) Interior Text Designer: Patricia Wallenburg, TypeWriting Cover Designer: Brian Cartwright, Rocket Design industrialpress.com ebooks.industrialpress.com 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 www.ebook3000.com Contents Foreword ix How to Use This Book xi Acknowledgments xiii About the Author xv Part One Chapter HÉLOÏSE AND THE MISSING SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER Poor S&OP Processes Generate Discord Chapter A THREAT OF BANKRUPTCY AT H RAMI Silos Lose Customers 21 Chapter PIERRE PLAYS TOTAL-QUALITY DETECTIVE Color-Coding Clarifies Non-value-added Flows 41 Part Two Chapter A STRATEGIC WITNESS SPEAKS UP Customers and Suppliers Affect Variability vii 69 Contents Chapter TEAMWORK IN THE FOREST Motivate Change with International Benchmarking 107 Chapter BAD BLOOD Link Physical and Information Flows 145 Part Three Chapter LILA FRACTALLE-CASS TO THE RESCUE Drive Competition with Innovation 179 Chapter FROM SCHOOL BUS TO CLASSROOM Accelerate Learning by Observation and Simulation 217 Chapter LINKING TO THE FUTURE Connect Strategy and Operations with DDS&OP viii www.ebook3000.com 261 Foreword Two roads diverged in a wood, and I– I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference —from “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost The Missing Links takes the road less traveled, and indeed it makes all the difference Héloïse, the daughter of a seasoned factory owner, is a professional musician Enamored with music and her personal relationships, she is traveling her wellknown road until that one fateful night when she is thrust onto a different road— one of discord and mystery Join Héloïse as she meets the challenges and surprises along the way Can she restore harmony in the company and in its collaboration with suppliers, distributors, and customers? Did harmony even exist there before? Why did the supply chain manager disappear suddenly? What will be the consequence for her family business? This detective story of Héloïse and the H Rami company had to be told to the world It is a story of mystery, intrigue, and surprise that also brings great insights and new ideas—clearly the road less traveled The Missing Links introduces an innovative yet proven methodology called DDMRP You will be captivated by how real the characters are and by the situations in which they find themselves You will understand how they move from common practice to common sense This wonderfully written novel is the first English book written by the French best-selling author, Caroline Mondon It has been my pleasure to know Caroline for over twenty years The past few years we have worked closely to bring DDMRP to France I was honored to play a bit part in bringing this book to market This is not a book that will sit on your shelf once you have read it You will pass it along to others to read, and they will pass it along to others Like the very best books, you will find that you will purchase this book many times because ix ...Advance Praise for The Missing Links The Missing Links is a business novel by Caroline Mondon It is similar to The Goal by Dr Eli Goldratt, probably the best selling business novel... absorb the air and light that renders it the strength of a building stone Today, as it had yesterday, and would again tomorrow, the changing light along the banks of The Missing Links the Loire... she met up with other string musicians Together they went down to the south of France and enchanted tourists with their music in some of the most beautiful villages in the Luberon The trip went