Inventory

Inventory records a product at an entity-owned warehouse position, with a location and optional lot. On-hand, reserved and available quantities are separate. A position may be available, held, picked, in transit or assigned to production. That distinction matters when sales asks whether another order can be fulfilled today.

For a paper distributor using more than one warehouse, a transfer keeps the same legal owner while changing custody. Dispatch creates an in-transit remainder; a partial receipt does not make the entire transfer available at the destination.

• Locate stock. Warehouse Manager checks product, warehouse, location, custody and available quantity before releasing a task.
• Protect commitments. Reservations link stock scope to sales demand or work-order materials, including the lot where a hard reservation applies.
• Record movement. Stock events and movement legs retain source identity, actual quantity and carrying value for receipts, transfers, picks and returns.

Define the legal entity that owns each stock position. Set warehouses and locations, including receiving, picking, held and transit custody. Establish which products require lot identification. Agree the unit conversion used for buying, selling and base stock. Set the stock and count review policies with the Warehouse Manager and Finance Manager.

A count is an observation before it is an authorized adjustment. The team locks its scope, records the counted quantity and reviews variance against the original position. A later stock movement should not rewrite the observed count or conceal the difference.

Receive an accepted quantity into a receiving location, then move it to storage. Reserve a portion for an approved sales order. Compare on-hand, reserved and available balances; only the remainder should be offered to a second order. Hold another portion and confirm it is still owned but unavailable for a normal pick.

Now transfer some of the available stock to a second warehouse. Record actual dispatch and receive only part of it. The open transit quantity and value must still be visible. A repeated receipt should not duplicate the destination position. For a lot-controlled product, verify that the selected lot stays attached to the movement and destination balance.

• Warehouse Availability — Staff see product positions and quantities by warehouse, location and custody.
• My Pick Tasks — Assigned operators see planned and picked work tied to order lines.
• Period Close Work — Finance follows remaining stock reconciliation work at cutoff.

See stock control and delivery execution.