ABCstock

Stock sitting on a shelf ties up money, and stock that runs out loses sales, so the useful question is how much of each item to hold. ABCstock answers it by connecting to a company's ERP system, analysing and categorising the product catalogue, and calculating inventory parameters from statistics and simulation for a service level the user chooses.

Sorting the catalogue by importance

The software starts with an ABC classification that ranks items by how important they are to the business and by turnover. Important items receive more attention, obsolete items are flagged for clean-up and new items are flagged so they are not overlooked. The classification can drive the requested service level, or the level can be set by hand.

A forecast that refreshes nightly

ABCstock calculates a statistical forecast that learns from history. Each night the formula and its parameters are re-evaluated, the forecast is recalculated and, where it applies, sent back to the ERP system. Users can edit demand data and forecasts with corrections, for instance to allow for a one-off event.

Simulation for safety stock and reorder points

Using AI simulation, the tool replays sales order history, taking account of order quantities and how often they occur, and decides a safety stock or reorder point for each item. The vendor says the resulting values are on average 20 percent lower than before, and the figures are returned to the ERP system so its purchase planning can use them.

Purchasing and visibility

ABCstock can also optimise purchase orders by supplier, adding items from the same vendor to reach a target volume, amount or weight, which cuts the number of orders and shipments. A dashboard and item overview can be filtered and searched, for instance to show items whose stock position is below the safety level, on desktop, tablet or smartphone. A web-based CPQ configurator for customer-specific orders is also mentioned by the vendor.