[facialwipe]

A (very) mildly interesting tidbit...

I used to do IT for a vendor that injection-molded low durometer plastic washers for Zildjian. They placed a single large PO annually.

99% of the population would identify these as 'rubber' washers. Nope, they're polyurethane.

[bluGill]

I'm surprised. Most companies are moving to Just In time. A contract to supply for a year, and often secret insight into order books so the supplier can work with their supplier when they need things. You still need some buffer because interruptions will happen, but storing a years worth of use means you pay for space to store all that. (it gets worse if someone invents a better washer and now your inventory is obsolete)

[mrguyorama]

>I'm surprised.

Maybe a company that predates most existing nations has bigger priorities than "perfect our profit spreadsheet by cutting every corner".

How much space do you think a year's worth of washers take up? They could easily be doing more frequent purchases for their larger inputs.

Seeing as they also predate science, they might have experience with things changing over time and how that affects supply. Or they don't, and it's much easier to weather bad events and business mistakes when your focus is on reliably producing high quality product for reasonable prices for centuries, to the point where your name is nearly synonymous with the product, your customers will always wait for you or come back.

Maybe, instead, those pushing "Just in time" everything should learn a thing or two from the company that has produced a reliably quality product for centuries.