Setting Minimum Stock Levels and Reorder Levels for Managing Purchases and Inventory

Minimum stock level and reorder level indicators can be set so that when on-hand stock of a particular item falls below a set level, a warning flag appears in all Personal Order Catalogues. In addition, the Restock Report is updated with the low stock item details.

This information is automatically displayed with a red Low indicator in the Qty column of your Personal Order Catalogue. If the curser is hovered over the Low indicator, a popup appears giving you details of the current On Hand quantity and a restock quantity or level, depending on how you have set up your levels.

These Low stock indicators are very helpful in managing the ordering of goods: they help avoid out of stock situations (cancelled surgeries / expensive last-minute buying); and over buying / over stocking. 

These levels are set and adjusted in your Inventory Settings area, in the section called Edit Items / Stock Items.

The Stock Items report lists all stock items in your Inventory Register with two columns on the right, Min Quantity and Restock Quantity, to allow you to set your stock levels:

The Min Quantity column allows you to set the level at which the Low stock flag will appear in your Personal Order Catalogue and the Restock report.

The Restock Quantity column indicates the restock figure. The restock figure can be used in one of two ways. Either as:

1. the order quantity you need to top up inventory; or
2. the stock level that you need to reach to bring stock back up to the pre-agreed stock level, with the order quantity being decided by the person who is ordering.

Often the second option is chosen as on-hand stock can vary and fall after it reaches the Minimum stock level, and so this lets the person doing the ordering to decide how much to buy to bring stock back up to the indicated Restock level.