Supply chain startup Atomic came out of stealth last year with founders who promised to use their experience at Tesla to streamline inventory and boost customers’ bottom lines.
At its core, Atomic decides how much inventory a company should have, and where, by simulating scenarios, then recommending, or even automatically choosing, a response. The approach traces back to a crisis. Atomic’s founders built an early version of this system at Tesla during the 2018 Model 3 production ramp, when the automaker’s own spreadsheets couldn’t keep up with how quickly planning needed to change.