BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - June 10, 2009) -
Aberdeen
Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS), announced the release of its
recent report, "
Inventory Management: 3 Keys to Freeing Working
Capital." This study in which 170 survey respondents participated
confirms that inventory management processes and technologies are being
actively re-evaluated by companies today by 91% of companies. In addition
61% of respondents say they have made, or have been asked to make,
inventory-related technology recommendations within the past six months.
"Companies are looking for practical initiatives that can unlock working
capital while maintaining customer satisfaction," said Nari Viswanathan,
vice president and principal analyst, Aberdeen. "With 62% of companies
reporting a drop in customer demand over the past year, focusing on
inventory reduction is critical in a highly working capital constrained
environment due to the credit crunch. But the reduction in inventory should
not be done at the cost of broader issues such as customer service levels
and profit margins."
Based on their responses, companies were classified into three groups:
Best-in-Class, Industry Average, and Laggards. The
highest-performing companies achieved a 96% customer satisfaction level,
had a cash conversion cycle time of 15 days, and were able to achieve 87%
forecast accuracy at the product family level.
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the
following underwriters: Demand Solutions and Supply Chain Consultants. To
obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5965.
Visit
Research.Aberdeen.com for
additional access to complimentary
SCM
Research.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers
demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the
past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving
market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering
meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the
global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that
drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to
learn more about
Harte-Hanks,
call (800) 456-9748.
© 2009 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Nari Viswanathan
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5293
Nari.viswanathan@aberdeen.com