Abc Method

Inventory management method that categorizes items in terms of importance. Thus, more emphasis is placed on higher dollar value items (‘A's) than on lesser dollar value items (‘B's), while the least important items (‘C's) receive the least time and attention. Inventory should be analyzed frequently when using the ABC method.

Inventory management method that categorizes items in terms of importance. Thus, more emphasis is placed on higher dollar value items ("A"s) than on lesser dollar value items ("B"s), while the least important items ("C"s) receive the least time and attention. Inventory should be analyzed frequently when using the ABC method. The procedure for ABC analysis follows: (1) Separate finished goods into types (chairs of different models, and so on); separate raw materials into types (screws, nuts, and so on). (2) Calculate the annual dollar usage for each type of inventory (multiply the unit cost by the expected future annual usage). (3) Rank each inventory type from highest to lowest, based on annual dollar usage. (4) Classify the inventory as A-the top 20%; B-the next 30%; and C-the last 50% of dollars usage, respectively. (5) Tag the inventory with its appropriate ABC classification and record those classifications in the item inventory master records.