How to Start a VMI Program, Step by Step

1. Walk the storage area. Your supplier tours where packaging lives today and notes every item.
2. Build the item list. Each item gets a part number, a description, and its shelf location.
3. Pull usage history. Six to twelve months of orders show how fast you use each item.
4. Set minimums and maximums. The minimum covers lead time plus a safety buffer. The maximum fits your space and cash limits.
5. Pick the count schedule. Weekly for fast movers, every two weeks or monthly for slower items.
6. Label the shelves. Each location shows the item and its minimum and maximum, so anyone can see stock at a glance.
7. Run the first count and review. After the first month, adjust levels that ran too high or too low.

• Which items go on the program, and which stay off.
• Who approves level changes.
• How you want to see each count: a report, an email, or a walk-through.

• Setting levels from guesses instead of usage history.
• Leaving slow movers off the list. Those are the items nobody watches.
• Skipping the review after the first month.

Before setup, record three numbers: hours spent on packaging each week, packaging orders per month, and stockouts in the last year. Check them again after 90 days. The change is your VMI result.

S&S counts weekly, every two weeks, or monthly based on your usage, and no VMI customer has ever run out. Send us a time for a walk-through, and we’ll build your item list with you.

S&S Incorporated · Packaging made easy since 1965 21300 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44117 216-383-1880 · info@sspkg.com · www.sspackaging.com Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM–3:30 PM