How Manufacturers Use InFlow for Stock Control

Manufacturing success hinges on one critical factor: having the right materials at the right time. When production lines halt due to missing components, every minute translates to lost revenue, missed deadlines, and frustrated customers. Yet countless manufacturers still rely on spreadsheets and guesswork to manage their inventory.

This article explores how manufacturing companies are using InFlow Inventory & Procurement to transform their stock control processes, reduce waste, and maintain seamless production schedules.

The Hidden Cost of Poor Stock Tracking#

For manufacturers, inventory challenges extend far beyond simple stockouts. Consider a mid-sized electronics manufacturer producing circuit boards. They source components from dozens of suppliers across multiple countries, maintain safety stock for critical parts, and must balance carrying costs against production demands.

Without a robust stock tracking system, problems compound quickly:

• Production delays when components arrive late or quantities fall short
• Excess inventory tying up capital in slow-moving materials
• Quality issues from using expired or degraded components
• Supplier relationship strain from rushed orders and inconsistent communication

A procurement software solution addresses these challenges by providing visibility, automation, and predictive capabilities that manual processes simply cannot match.

Real-Time Visibility Across the Production Floor#

Modern manufacturing operates across multiple locations—raw material warehouses, work-in-progress stations, finished goods storage, and sometimes satellite facilities. InFlow's inventory management software connects these disparate locations into a unified view.

Take the example of a custom furniture manufacturer with three production facilities. Each location maintains its own lumber stock, hardware supplies, and finishing materials. Before implementing centralized stock tracking, the company frequently discovered that one facility sat on excess maple while another placed emergency orders for the same wood.

With multi-location support, the operations team now sees inventory levels across all sites in real time. When the Portland facility needs quarter-inch oak dowels, they can instantly check whether the Seattle warehouse has surplus before placing a supplier order. This visibility alone reduced their material costs by 18% in the first year.

Automated Stock Alerts That Prevent Surprises#

Proactive alerts transform inventory management from reactive firefighting to strategic planning. Rather than discovering shortages when production schedules fail, teams receive notifications when stock approaches reorder points.

These alerts can be customized based on material criticality. High-priority components that could halt production trigger immediate notifications to purchasing managers. Lower-priority supplies generate weekly summary reports for routine reordering.

Supplier Management That Builds Partnerships#

Procurement extends beyond placing purchase orders—it involves cultivating reliable supplier relationships that benefit both parties. InFlow's supplier management capabilities help manufacturers track vendor performance, compare pricing history, and maintain organized communication records.

Consider how this works in practice. A food processing company sources packaging materials from five different suppliers. Over time, InFlow tracks delivery accuracy, quality consistency, and price changes for each vendor. When contract renewal approaches, the procurement team has concrete data to negotiate better terms with top performers or phase out underperforming suppliers.

The system also simplifies purchase order management. Rather than creating orders from scratch, teams can generate them from templates, copy previous orders with quantity adjustments, or let the AI suggest orders based on demand forecasting.

Demand Forecasting That Anticipates Tomorrow#

Perhaps the most transformative capability in modern warehouse management software is AI-powered demand forecasting. Historical data, seasonal patterns, and trend analysis combine to predict future inventory needs before they become urgent.

For a manufacturer of outdoor equipment, this means automatically increasing hiking boot component orders ahead of spring, adjusting ski binding inventory for winter demand, and accounting for the gradual growth in camping gear popularity. The system learns from actual consumption patterns, becoming more accurate over time.

Practical benefits of demand forecasting include:

• Reduced carrying costs by avoiding over-ordering slow periods
• Improved supplier relationships through predictable, consistent ordering
• Better cash flow management with optimized inventory investment
• Fewer expedited shipping charges from last-minute orders

The forecasting engine also accounts for lead times. If a critical component takes six weeks to arrive from overseas, the system triggers reorder alerts with that buffer built in—not when stock runs low, but when ordering must happen to maintain continuity.

Implementing Stock Control Improvements#

Manufacturers considering procurement automation often worry about implementation complexity. The transition from spreadsheets or legacy systems need not be disruptive. Start with these practical steps:

Begin with critical inventory. Rather than loading every SKU immediately, focus on A-class items that drive production. Get these dialed in before expanding to lower-priority materials.

Clean your data first. Inaccurate starting quantities undermine the entire system. Conduct physical counts of critical items before going live.

Train in phases. Let warehouse staff master receiving and stock adjustments before introducing procurement teams to purchase order workflows.

Trust but verify forecasts. AI predictions improve with data. During the first few months, compare forecasts against actual consumption and adjust safety stock levels accordingly.

Moving Forward with Confidence#

Effective inventory management and procurement software transforms manufacturing operations from reactive scrambles into strategic advantages. When materials flow smoothly, production teams focus on quality and efficiency rather than chasing shortages.

InFlow Inventory & Procurement provides the real-time visibility, automated alerts, supplier management tools, and demand forecasting that modern manufacturers need. Whether managing a single facility or coordinating across multiple locations, the platform scales with your operations.

Ready to eliminate stockouts and streamline your procurement process? Try Inventory Module and see how AI-powered stock tracking can transform your manufacturing operations.