More reliable promise
Availability relies on understandable stock states and horizons.
Capabilities Inventory optimisation and reliability
Capability · Inventory optimisation and reliability
The right stock is not the highest stock.It is the stock you can promise.
Align physical truth, service levels, lead times, variability and risk to position, protect and replenish inventory with judgement.
A capability shaped by your flows, rules and field evidence.
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Less urgency
Stockout, excess and delay are detected early enough to compare several levers.
Better-used capital
Inventory is positioned according to its contribution to service and risk.
Explainable policy
Every threshold, segment and exception retains a rationale and review date.
Decision framework
Connect promise, responsibility and proof.
Optimisation is not about reducing everything. It requires distinguishing the role of each item, site and commitment.
Gaps to eliminate
What weakens day-to-day decisions.
Each gap connects an observable situation to a business consequence. Diagnosis then verifies frequency, impact and cause.
System ≠ physical
Variances, units and statuses make displayed quantity differ from reality.
Decisions based on fictional stockAvailable ≠ promiseable
Stock may be blocked, reserved, non-compliant or outside the horizon.
Commitment impossible to keepLocal overload
Stock accumulates where demand or capacity cannot absorb it.
Extra cost, obsolescence and transfersIncomplete traceability
Lot, quality and history do not always follow stock through to the promise.
Quality or compliance riskOperational journey
A chain of decisions, not a stack of screens.
Each transition identifies the participant, responsible system and expected proof.
1
Receipt
Create qualified stock
Quantity, unit, lot, date, quality and location are controlled at entry.
- Owner
- WMS / quality
- Proof
- Physically receivable stock
2
Putaway
Position by role
Family, rotation, criticality, safety and physical constraints guide location.
- Owner
- WMS
- Proof
- Location and status confirmed
3
Reservation
Protect the right demand
Customer, channel, lot, priority and horizon determine what becomes committed.
- Owner
- OMS / ERP
- Proof
- Explained promiseable quantity
4
Execution
Make inventory live
Picking, consumption, transfer and return close the field loop.
- Owner
- WMS / MES
- Proof
- Coherent movement and balance
5
Control
Review the policy
Service, coverage, stockout, rotation and variance are analysed by segment.
- Owner
- ERP / BI / business
- Proof
- Replenishment or adjustment decision
6
Return
Reintegrate with care
Expected, received, inspected, refurbished and available remain separate.
- Owner
- WMS / quality
- Proof
- Disposition decision recorded
Decision lab
Change context. Follow what genuinely needs to happen.
These scenarios are illustrative: they show decision logic and responsibilities without claiming to simulate your actual outcomes.
E-commerce peak
Absorb the peak without permanently inflating stock
Demand rises on a family with long supplier lead time.
Combine targeted safety stock, channel allocation and fulfilment capacity.
Service, coverage and peak cost compared.
B‑AGILEdecision flowERP / planificationPROTECH WMSOMS / commerceTMSBI
Food industry
Serve demand without losing short-dated lots
Several dates and quality statuses coexist for the same item.
Orchestrate FEFO, blocks, customer priorities and transport horizon.
Selected lot, rule and remaining shelf life visible.
B‑AGILEdecision flowERP / planificationPROTECH WMSOMS / commerceTMSBI
Critical component
Protect production continuity
A low-value component blocks a high-contribution order.
Reprioritise, transfer or expedite using load, cost and criticality.
Shutdown risk and preventive action documented.
B‑AGILEdecision flowERP / planificationPROTECH WMSOMS / commerceTMSBI
Multi-warehouse network
Rebalance without multiplying transfers
One site is overstocked while another approaches stockout.
Compare transfer, replenishment and demand shift on equal contribution.
Option, lead time and total cost reconciled.
B‑AGILEdecision flowERP / planificationPROTECH WMSOMS / commerceTMSBI
Responsibility architecture
Unify the flow without pretending one system does everything.
The responsibilities below form a reference architecture to adapt to the existing IT landscape.
ERP / planification
Defines policy- Owns
- Demand, lead times, parameters, supply and valuation
- Publishes
- Requirements and proposals
PROTECH WMS
Ensures field execution- Owns
- Locations, lots, statuses, reservations and movements
- Publishes
- Physical truth and variances
OMS / commerce
Carries the promise- Owns
- Channels, priorities, published availability and substitutions
- Publishes
- Committed demand
TMS
Carries network lead times- Owns
- Transfers, inbound transport and delivery
- Publishes
- ETA and in-transit status
BI
Evaluates policy- Owns
- Definitions, history and root-cause analysis
- Publishes
- Service, coverage, rotation and risks
Actionable cockpit
Inventory truth model
The same quantity must be readable by operational state: physical, blocked, reserved, in transit, under control or genuinely promiseable.
- Inventory accuracySize confidence, control and count frequency
- CoverageDetect stockout and excess by segment
- Service rateArbitrate service, cost and policy
- Blocked stockAccelerate quality and disposition decisions
Operational view · example
System ≠ physicalAvailable ≠ promiseableLocal overload
Success conditions
What must be true before automation.
Data ownership
Item, unit, lot, location, status and hierarchy have a system and owner.
Segmented policy
Parameters distinguish criticality, variability, lead time, seasonality and service level.
Useful counting
Controls target risks and seek the cause of variance, not just its correction.
Measured decision
Each threshold or policy change is compared with a baseline and horizon.
Related B‑AGILE solutions
Compose the right scope.
A capability may be carried by a full suite, a standalone solution or an existing system. Diagnosis decides.
Solution
PROTECH WMS
Execution core for physical truth, lots, reservations and counts.
Explore SuiteEMS Commerce
Connects omnichannel demand, promise and published stock.
Explore SuiteEMS Industrie
Connects materials, planning, production and availability.
Explore SuiteEMS AGRICHAIN
Extends traceability and inventory policy to agricultural cycles and lots.
ExploreGo further
Content to prepare a real discussion.
Frequently asked questions
Decide with the right boundaries.
How is promiseable stock defined?
Start from physical stock, then apply reservations, blocks, lots, horizons, capacity and documented service rules.
Does WMS replace ERP?
No. WMS carries physical execution; ERP or planning generally carries demand, supply and management.
Can we optimise with imperfect inventory?
Yes on a pilot scope, provided confidence, controls and authorised decisions are visible.
Is advanced forecasting required?
Not necessarily. First make history, atypical events, lead times and responsibilities reliable, then select the right method.
How are lots and shelf-life handled?
With explicit statuses, horizons, FEFO/FIFO rules, customer criteria and quality controls.
What outcomes can be promised?
No generic percentage. The project defines a baseline, indicators, scope and observation period.
Your context first
Turn availability into a reliable promise.
Identify the decisions, data, responsibilities and pilot that will deliver observable value.