But the economic order quantity formula was first published in 1913 by Ford Whitman Harris, and I still use its logic when forecasting acrylic sheet buys. With a 6‑week lead time and a 1,200‑unit weekly burn, it still gets me in the right neighborhood for material ordering — anyone else lean on this century‑old math for reorder points?
And it’s great how those century-old numbers still help us today! I sometimes wonder if Harris had any idea we’d still be crunching his math — it’s like using a rotary phone to order pizza. Do you adjust for seasonality in your forecasts?
I can totally relate! When calculating for acrylic sheets, I always factor in safety stock just in case of unexpected demand shifts. Balancing lead time with that weekly burn can be tricky, but it definitely keeps us ahead. Do you find that adjusting for market trends impacts your reorder frequency?