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Consumer centric supply chains focus on flow improvement.
Flow of goods from factory to consumers is at the heart of the twin consumer objectives of availability and freshness. This flow should be as smooth as possible.
Interruptions in the product flow lead to stockouts, while clogging of the pipeline causes loss of freshness. Supply chain planning processes should focus on avoiding both - interruptions as well as clogging.
Agile distribution networks require certain inventory buffers to be placed at strategic points to ensure uninterrupted flow during demand surges. Doing away with these intermediate nodes is the wrong way to improve flow, as it would lead to stockouts during such a surge.
The right way to improve flow is to send only the required quantity to the next node to fill its buffer, instead of large batches like full pallet loads. Improving the frequency of lane servicing also improves the flow.
Have you instituted the process of ongoing improvement to maximize product flow through the supply chain?