Platform-Specific Inventory Management

SAP Warehouse Management Process: Sure, here are the key processes in SAP Warehouse Management (WM) with brief explanations: 1. Goods Receipt: • Receiving and Unpacking: Record materials received from suppliers or production. • Putaway: Place goods in designated storage bins using strategies like fixed bin or open storage. 2. Goods Issue: • Picking: Select goods from storage to fulfill orders. • Packing: Prepare picked goods for shipping. • Shipping: Send packed goods to customers or other locations. 3. Stock Transfers and Replenishment: • Internal Transfers: Move stock within the warehouse. • Replenishment: Restock picking areas from bulk storage. 4. Inventory Management: • Physical Inventory: Conduct stock counts and reconcile discrepancies. • Cycle Counting: Periodically count selected items to ensure accuracy. 5. Handling Units and Batch Management: • Handling Units (HUs): Manage containers or pallets holding multiple materials. • Batch Management: Track inventory based on batch or lot numbers. 6. Wave Planning: • Wave Creation: Group tasks like picking orders into waves for efficiency. • Wave Release: Release waves based on priority and resources. 7. Cross-Docking: • Inbound Cross-Docking: Move received goods directly to outbound staging. • Outbound Cross-Docking: Coordinate outbound deliveries with incoming shipments. 8. Warehouse Order Creation and Execution: • Warehouse Task Creation: Generate tasks for specific activities (e.g., picking, putaway). • Order Confirmation: Confirm task completion to update inventory. 9. Labor Management: • Task Assignment: Assign tasks to workers based on skills and availability. • Performance Tracking: Monitor worker productivity. 10. Slotting and Rearrangement: • Slotting: Determine optimal storage locations for materials. • Rearrangement: Adjust storage locations to improve efficiency. These processes ensure efficient and accurate management of warehouse operations, optimizing inventory handling, and streamlining logistics.

What are the most important questions to ask to know if the Inventory Management functionality included in Dynamics 365 Business Central is enough or if an add-on tool would give you what you need? The inventory management experts I asked at Netstock EazyStock StockIQ Technologies Lanham Associates and Solution Systems, Inc. suggested these questions: 1. What is the pricing model? 2. What is your support model for SaaS deployments? (included, extra fee, levels, etc?) 3. How often does the system get updates? 4. Does the system offer a certified connection to Dynamics 365 Business Central? 5. Can the solution integrate with multiple instances of Dynamics 365? 6. Can other external data systems be integrated (CRM, PoS, e-commerce, etc) and through what approach? 7. Does the system support the management of inventory across multiple warehouse locations? 8. What reporting capabilities are available out of the box? 9. How is the solution implemented (direct/partner)? 10. Does the system allow for automation of the following (or other) capabilities: reordering, stock replenishment, demand forecasting, and managing traceability? 11. How often does the system re-classify items? Is the process automatic or manual? What else can you add? How different do you think their answers will be? You can see a 10 minute demo of 4 inventory management tools plus the core functionality of Business Central included in the upcoming "Inventory Management for Dynamics 365 Business Central Comparison showcase". Plus the accompanying "Comparison PDF"answering these questions in a side by side review. Interested? Let me know. #Groupblogging #InventoryManagement #Dynamics365 #MSDYN365

Managing inventory on Amazon doesn’t have to be complicated but having a simple and effective reporting system is crucial to ensure you stay in stock and avoid unnecessary costs. 💯 For Amazon-focused businesses and agencies, the emphasis is on optimizing inventory already in Amazon’s fulfillment centers (FBA) and ensuring the right products are sent in at the right time. 🔑 Here are three key elements every inventory management system should include: 𝟏. 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 The cornerstone of any good inventory system is understanding when to reorder. This requires tracking: ▪️ Current Inventory Levels: How much stock is already in Amazon FBA. ▪️Sales Velocity: The rate at which your product is selling on Amazon. ▪️Transfer Times: How long it takes for inventory to ship from your warehouse to Amazon’s fulfillment centers. By combining these data points, you can calculate an estimated reorder date and ensure timely replenishments. This avoids costly out-of-stock situations that can hurt sales and rankings. 𝟐. 𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Not all ASINs are created equal. To optimize inventory management, you should categorize your products into tiers: ▪️A-Tier ASINs: Products contributing 5% or more of total sales. These are your top performers and must stay in stock at all times. ▪️B-Tier ASINs: Products contributing 1-5% of total sales. Important but slightly less critical—replenish as needed. ▪️C-Tier ASINs: Products contributing less than 1% of total sales. These are your “nice to have” items; prioritize them last if space or resources are limited. This tiering system ensures you’re focusing on what matters most, keeping the business afloat by prioritizing high-impact products. 𝟑. 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 Overstocked or slow-moving products can quietly drain profitability due to Amazon’s long-term storage fees. To manage this: ▪️Regularly analyze aged inventory reports to identify items sitting for too long. ▪️Consider running removal orders to clear excess stock and reduce storage costs. ▪️Use this data to refine your ordering process and avoid overstocking in the future. #Amazon #inventory #ecommerce #sales #revenue