FIC’s Mission is to offer forecasting and inventory replenishment systems that reduce forecast
errors, optimize both the investment in inventory and the service level, and are mathematically
sound and are easy to use.
FIC is a privately held company that was incorporated in 1985. Prior to 1985 the key
principals of FIC were either independent consultants or held positions in major companies in
the Chicago area. In either case the primary assignments and responsibilities were the
development and implementation of forecasting and inventory control systems.
FIC's principals have a combined experience of over 80 years in developing
forecasting and inventory control systems in the manufacturing, distribution and retail industries.
Management
Nick Thomopoulos, Ph.D. is a principal staff member of FIC. He is strongly versed in
probability, data analysis and optimization methods and creatively uses these methods to serve
industry. Over the past thirty years he has been contracted to design and implement a wide
variety of computer systems for a broad mixture of industries with applications in the United
States, Europe and Japan. Most of these systems are still in operation today and are continuing
to benefit the users as designed. They include forecasting systems for distribution centers, for
plants and for retailers; inventory replenishment systems for distribution centers, for plants and
for retailers; production scheduling, production sequencing and master production scheduling
systems for plants; machine loading systems, assembly line scheduling, assembly line balancing,
assembly line sequencing and assembly line design systems. Also he has designed and
implemented all-time- requirement systems, distribution center location systems, systems to
allocate inventory to distribution centers, to transfer inventory between distribution centers and
more. He is the co- author of Assembly Line Systems, Hayden Books, 1974, author of
Applied Forecasting Methods, Prentice Hall, 1980 and of Strategic Inventory Management
and Planning, Hitchcock Publishing Company, 1990. He has been awarded the Rist Award for
best Military Operations Research Paper of the year in 1972. He is also on the faculty of the
Stuart Graduate School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
Nick Malham, M.S., acquired a wealth of knowledge and experience in diverse industries as
an operations research analyst, Director of Operations Research and Vice President of
Information Services for Inland Steel, Keebler Corp, Alberto Culver and MAN Roland.
Throughout his career he used analytical techniques and developed algorithms that proved
useful in reducing costs and improving efficiencies in manufacturing, inventory control and
distribution. His accomplishments include the development and implementation of forecasting
and inventory control systems, the design and programming of algorithms to determine
purchase quantities of high cost heavy equipment with long lead times, the determination of
optimal number and location of distribution centers, automation of manufacturing schedules and
the determination of an optimal manufacturing work force.
FIRM™ Software
