Tag
#inventory management
October 10, 2026
The Real Cost of a Stockout
How to calculate the cost of a stockout: lost sales, lost margin, expedite costs, and customers who don't come back, with a worked example.
October 2, 2026
Inventory Turnover Ratio, Explained
How to calculate inventory turnover ratio and days of inventory, with a worked example, and what a low or high number says about your stock.
September 26, 2026
Economic Order Quantity (EOQ), Explained
The EOQ formula, a worked example, and why it's a useful starting point for order sizing but a poor fit for demand that actually moves around.
September 22, 2026
Inventory Cycle Counting: The ABC Method
What cycle counting is, how the ABC method decides what to count and how often, and how to run counts without shutting the warehouse down.
September 7, 2026
Safety Stock: How Much Buffer You Actually Need
How to calculate safety stock without a statistics degree: the practical formula, how lead time and demand variability change it, and common mistakes.
September 5, 2026
What Supply Chain Visibility Actually Means
What supply chain visibility actually means for a small distributor, why most have less of it than they think, and what changes once you have it.
September 3, 2026
Multi-Location Inventory: Keeping Stock in Sync
Why warehouse, storefront, and wholesale counts drift apart, how to net out reserved stock, and how to decide who gets the last units.
September 1, 2026
Supply Chain KPIs Worth Tracking
Six supply chain KPIs for small distributors, real benchmark ranges for each, and why tracking five metrics well beats tracking twenty poorly.
August 20, 2026
The Real Cost of Manual Supply Chain Processes
A worked framework for pricing out what manual reordering, tracking, and supplier chasing really cost your team, in hours and in dollars.
August 16, 2026
How to Calculate Defect Rate (and Benchmarks)
The defect rate formula explained, plus realistic benchmark ranges by product type and when a rising rate on one SKU or supplier needs action.
August 14, 2026
How to Handle a Backordered Item
When to tell a customer their order has a backordered line, what ETA actually satisfies them, and whether to hold, split-ship, or cancel it.
August 8, 2026
Inventory Shrinkage: Causes and How to Track It
What inventory shrinkage actually is, the formula to calculate your rate, realistic benchmarks, and how a small distributor can track it without an ERP.
August 2, 2026
Dead Stock vs. Slow-Moving Inventory
Dead stock and slow-moving stock look identical on a shelf. Here's the actual test to tell them apart, and why a wholesale account changes the answer.
July 30, 2026
Inventory Tracking: The Complete Guide
What inventory tracking actually means, the methods that work at each stage, and the wholesale mistakes most retail-focused guides skip.
July 26, 2026
Reorder Point: The Formula, With Real Numbers
What a reorder point is, the formula to calculate it, and how to handle variable lead times, multiple suppliers, and brand new SKUs with no sales history.
July 22, 2026
Demand Forecasting Without a Data Team
A practical demand forecasting guide for small and mid-sized teams: the formula, the methods, and how often to redo it, no data scientist required.
July 20, 2026
Do You Need SAP? A Distributor's Guide
Do you need SAP for a small distribution business? What it costs, what it's actually for, and how to get the same visibility without the consultant.