EOQ vs alternatives

EOQ isn’t the answer to every inventory question. Five competing policies cover most of the "is EOQ even the right tool here?" decision space. Each compare below ends with a one-line rule for which to pick.

The five compares

• EOQ vs JIT
  Wilson Q* batching vs just-in-time pull. The boundary is setup-cost-to-holding-cost ratio.
• EOQ vs MRP
  EOQ for independent demand, MRP for dependent. Use EOQ as the lot-size rule inside the MRP run.
• EOQ vs Min/Max
  Continuous-review (s, Q) with Q = Q* vs simple two-bin Min/Max. EOQ wins on cost; Min/Max wins on simplicity.
• EOQ vs Newsvendor
  EOQ for repeating orders; Newsvendor for single-period decisions (apparel season, perishable batch).
• MOQ vs EOQ
  Supplier-imposed minimum vs buyer-optimal. When MOQ binds, EOQ tells you the cost of the constraint.