Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the challenges associated with the inventory management system at a gypsum plasterboard manufacturing company in South Africa, hereafter referred to as Boardplant. The study is a case study that was conducted in the warehouse of Boardplant at a facility in Johannesburg. The facility manufactures a wide range of plasterboard products for ceilings and drywall partitioning. The study was conducted after the company’s management had raised concerns on the inventory losses and on the management approach that was not supporting the strategic goals of the company. The data was collected through interviews and the data collection instrument was a questionnaire with open ended questions. Participants were purposively selected from the sales, operations and planning functions of the company. Participants had between one to ten years of experience in the company. Data was analyzed through thematic approach. It was found out that the company’s processes, procedures and records were not adequate to enable proper management of the inventory. Moreover, the warehouse was not integrated with the other key functions of the company. Boardplant needs to invest in an integrated inventory management system.

Key words

inventory management challenges, Gypsum plasterboard manufacturing, integrated system, case study, South Africa