What is the Main Purpose of Inventory Management? | Sortly (2024)

Inventory management is key to maintaining a profitable, organized, and productive business.For some companies, practicing inventory management is simple: they take inventory every week or so by walking through a storage closet and checking to see if they’re low on anything. But other companies must take inventory management quite seriously, tracking every item the minute it arrives, moves, or is used up.

In this article, we’ll cover the definition of inventory management, the purposes of inventory management, and a few ways the right inventory system can help you manage your business’s inventory.

What is the definition of inventory management?

Inventory management refers to the ordering, stocking, storing, and utilizing of inventory. All businesses practice some form of inventory management, whether it's keeping track of finished products sold in stores, or tracking the equipment and supplies they use to create a product or service. Many businesses turn to inventory management software to help them get a handle on inventory quickly and efficiently.

What is the main purpose of inventory management?

The main purpose of inventory management is to help businesses easily and efficiently manage the ordering, stocking, storing, and using of inventory. By effectively managing your inventory, you’ll always know what items are in stock, how many of them there are, and where they are located.

Plus, practicing strong inventory management allows you to understand how you use your inventory–and how demand changes for it–over time. You can zero in on exactly what you need, what’s not so important, and what’s just a waste of money. That’s using inventory management to practice inventory control. By the way, inventory control is the balancing act of always having enough stock to meet demand, while spending as little as possible on ordering and carrying inventory.

Inventory management for physical and perpetual inventory

If you count your inventory manually every time you need to find out what’s in stock, you take physical inventory. If you’re constantly updating what you’ve got on hand and where it is, you take perpetual inventory.

Perpetual inventory is practically impossible to track manually. There are just too many moving parts! You’ll almost certainly require technology, like an inventory app, to keep your records up to date. Key automation features, like QR code scanning, can make keeping your inventory app synced fast and simple.

If you take physical inventory, you can decide between using pen and paper, an inventory spreadsheet, or inventory management software. Just know that manual tracking tends to take a lot of time, and can lend itself to human error.

Related: What is the difference between perpetual inventory and physical inventory?

Getting started with inventory tracking

Feeling overwhelmed by the demands of inventory management? We’ve made it easy for you. Take control of your stock and streamline your operations with this easy, comprehensive ebook for inventory management. Learn the basics of tracking inventory with this step-by-step guide to implementing efficient practices. Learn how to identify the right system for your business, automate tasks, and gain valuable insights to boost your bottom line. Get started on the path to inventory management mastery and download our free ebook today.

What is the Main Purpose of Inventory Management? | Sortly (1)

Free Ebook: Getting Started With Inventory Tracking

This easy, comprehensive guide will help you:

  • Determine your business's inventory levels and needs
  • Organize your inventory for optimal tracking
  • Follow tried-and-true best practices for inventory management

The role of inventory management software

What is the Main Purpose of Inventory Management? | Sortly (2)

Sortly inventory management software helps you track, manage, and organize your inventory—from any device, in any location. We’re an easy-to-use inventory solution that’s perfect for small businesses. Sortly builds inventory tracking seamlessly into your workday so you can save time and money, satisfy your customers, and help your business succeed.

With Sortly, you can track inventory, supplies, parts, tools, assets like equipment and machinery, and anything else that matters to your business. It comes equipped with smart features like barcoding & QR coding, low stock alerts, customizable folders, data-rich reporting, and much more. Best of all, you can update inventory right from your smartphone, whether you’re on the job, in the warehouse, or on the go.

Whether you’re just getting started with inventory management or you’re an expert looking for a more efficient solution, we can transform how your company manages inventory—so you can focus on building your business. That’s why over 10,000 businesses globally trust us as their inventory management solution.

Start your two-week free trial of Sortly today.

What is the Main Purpose of Inventory Management? | Sortly (2024)

FAQs

What is the Main Purpose of Inventory Management? | Sortly? ›

Most businesses rely on an inventory management system

inventory management system
Inventory management software is a software system for tracking inventory levels, orders, sales and deliveries. It can also be used in the manufacturing industry to create a work order, bill of materials and other production-related documents.
https://en.wikipedia.org › Inventory_management_software
to ensure they've got everything they need to operate productively and profitably while keeping up with customer demand. And when it comes to companies in the manufacturing industry, air-tight inventory management is even more critical.

What is the purpose of inventory management? ›

The main purpose of inventory management is to help businesses easily and efficiently manage the ordering, stocking, storing, and using of inventory. By effectively managing your inventory, you'll always know what items are in stock, how many of them there are, and where they are located.

What is the primary objective of inventory management? ›

The primary goal of inventory management is to ensure that all kinds of materials are accessible whenever the production department needs them, ensuring that production is not stopped or slowed down due to a lack of resources.

What is the importance of inventory management quizlet? ›

the objective of inventory management is to strike a balance between inventory investment and customer service. -More inventory raises costs but always keeps customers happy. 1. To provide a selection of goods for anticipated demand and to separate the firm from fluctuations in demand.

What is the primary purpose of inventory management in supply chain management? ›

Inventory management, a critical element of the supply chain, is tracking inventory from manufacturers to warehouses and from these facilities to the point of sale. Inventory management aims to have the right products in the right place at the right time.

What is the primary purpose of inventory control? ›

The purpose of inventory control is to ensure that a company has the right amount of stock on hand at all times. This involves monitoring inventory levels, tracking sales trends, and forecasting demand.

What is the main function of inventory? ›

The main function of inventory is to provide operations with an ongoing supply of materials. To achieve this function effectively, your business should strive to find a sweet spot between too much and too little, without ever running out of stock.

What are the major three purposes of inventory? ›

The purpose of the inventory is to provide a buffer between production and sales, smoothing out the flow of goods and ensuring that products are available when customers order them. To achieve this goal, companies must carefully manage their inventory levels, investing in an appropriate system if necessary.

Which of the following is the primary purpose of inventory management? ›

The primary objective of inventory management is to optimize inventory levels to strike a balance between meeting customer demand and minimizing holding costs. This involves determining the right quantities of inventory to have on hand at any given time.

What are the two primary goals of inventory management? ›

The two primary goals of inventory management are to have an adequate supply of inventory to fulfil customer demand and to minimize unnecessary inventory and its associated expenses.

What is the main importance of inventory? ›

Maintaining the right amount of inventory prevents selling out of items and upsetting customers or over-ordering and having overstock that costs money. Businesses that don't manage inventory effectively face several risks, a big one being poor application of financial resources.

What is the point of use inventory management? ›

Point of Use (POU) is a fundamental technique in lean manufacturing and inventory management that refers to the strategic placement of materials, components, tools, or supplies at the location where they are needed in the manufacturing process.

What is the most important aspect of inventory management? ›

One of the most critical aspects of inventory management is managing the flow of raw materials from their procurement to finished products. The goal is to minimize overstocks and improve efficiency so that projects can stay on time and within budget.

What is the main goal of inventory management? ›

One of the main objectives of inventory management is to ensure you are always having material available whenever the production department needs them ensuring that production is not stopped or slowed down due to a lack of resources.

What is inventory and purpose of inventory management? ›

Inventory management helps companies identify which and how much stock to order at what time. It tracks inventory from purchase to the sale of goods. The practice identifies and responds to trends to ensure there's always enough stock to fulfill customer orders and proper warning of a shortage.

What are the three major inventory management techniques? ›

The three most popular inventory management techniques are the push technique, the pull technique, and the just-in-time technique. These strategies offer businesses different pathways to meeting customer demand.

What is the essential purpose of an inventory? ›

Inventory is the accounting of items, component parts and raw materials that a company either uses in production or sells. As a business leader, you practice inventory management in order to ensure that you have enough stock on hand and to identify when there's a shortage.

What is an inventory and what is its purpose? ›

Inventory refers to all the items, goods, merchandise, and materials held by a business for selling in the market to earn a profit. Example: If a newspaper vendor uses a vehicle to deliver newspapers to the customers, only the newspaper will be considered inventory. The vehicle will be treated as an asset.

Top Articles
Top 30 Information Technology companies in Europe by Sales in 2018
Ethical concerns mount as AI takes bigger decision-making role
Jack Doherty Lpsg
Www.paystubportal.com/7-11 Login
Warren Ohio Craigslist
4-Hour Private ATV Riding Experience in Adirondacks 2024 on Cool Destinations
Lifewitceee
Mr Tire Prince Frederick Md 20678
Chris wragge hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy
50 Meowbahh Fun Facts: Net Worth, Age, Birthday, Face Reveal, YouTube Earnings, Girlfriend, Doxxed, Discord, Fanart, TikTok, Instagram, Etc
More Apt To Complain Crossword
Chase Claypool Pfr
Tv Schedule Today No Cable
Lantana Blocc Compton Crips
Thayer Rasmussen Cause Of Death
Cvb Location Code Lookup
The Largest Banks - ​​How to Transfer Money With Only Card Number and CVV (2024)
Leader Times Obituaries Liberal Ks
Transfer and Pay with Wells Fargo Online®
Dark Chocolate Cherry Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Water Trends Inferno Pool Cleaner
Vegito Clothes Xenoverse 2
R. Kelly Net Worth 2024: The King Of R&B's Rise And Fall
T Mobile Rival Crossword Clue
kvoa.com | News 4 Tucson
Craigslist Rome Ny
Lacey Costco Gas Price
Bend Missed Connections
Tracking every 2024 Trade Deadline deal
Mia Malkova Bio, Net Worth, Age & More - Magzica
Busted! 29 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – 03/27/22 Scioto County Mugshots
Springfield.craigslist
Pch Sunken Treasures
One Credit Songs On Touchtunes 2022
Colorado Parks And Wildlife Reissue List
Are you ready for some football? Zag Alum Justin Lange Forges Career in NFL
20 Best Things to Do in Thousand Oaks, CA - Travel Lens
Ursula Creed Datasheet
Legit Ticket Sites - Seatgeek vs Stubhub [Fees, Customer Service, Security]
Gun Mayhem Watchdocumentaries
Ezpawn Online Payment
Cnp Tx Venmo
Gym Assistant Manager Salary
Hk Jockey Club Result
60 Days From May 31
Adams-Buggs Funeral Services Obituaries
Benjamin Franklin - Printer, Junto, Experiments on Electricity
Dolce Luna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
Pilot Travel Center Portersville Photos
Denys Davydov - Wikitia
Overstock Comenity Login
Craigslist Yard Sales In Murrells Inlet
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Zonia Mosciski DO

Last Updated:

Views: 5799

Rating: 4 / 5 (71 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Zonia Mosciski DO

Birthday: 1996-05-16

Address: Suite 228 919 Deana Ford, Lake Meridithberg, NE 60017-4257

Phone: +2613987384138

Job: Chief Retail Officer

Hobby: Tai chi, Dowsing, Poi, Letterboxing, Watching movies, Video gaming, Singing

Introduction: My name is Zonia Mosciski DO, I am a enchanting, joyous, lovely, successful, hilarious, tender, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.