Stock forecasting

Empower future planning

Forecast your physical stock position, week-by-week for as many months ahead as you wish and run "what if" scenarios for the possible timing of new sales orders, purchase orders and supplier lead times with Access stock forecasting software. As you play out different scenarios, the free stock is instantly re-calculated and displayed graphically. Completed forecasts can be translated directly into production and purchasing schedules.

The start point

The initial stock forecast is based on your current physical stock position plus and minus known sales, works and purchase orders. The free stock position is displayed numerically and as a traffic light, the colour of which signifies the following:

• Green: Optimal level. No danger of overstocking or losing orders
• Amber: At risk of becoming under stocked
• Red: Unable to fulfill existing orders
• Blue: At risk of over-stocking. You may be stuck with redundant stock with the corresponding cash flow implications.

"What if" scenarios

As you play out different scenarios (for example, new sales and purchase orders and supplier lead times) the free stock is instantly re-calculated numerically and the traffic light indicators provide an immediate visual impact, week-by-week for as many months forward as you need to review. 

Sales predictions

You can start by inputting the number of new customer orders you expect to receive, week-by-week, taking account of the season, promotional events, sales force predictions and any other factors that are relevant in your business. You can automate this sales prediction by referring to the sales performance of the same stock item in previous years, or by referring to the historic sales performance of similar items.

Purchasing predictions

Simply enter quantities in the grid until the free stock indicates green or amber. With seasonal stock you will aim to 'go amber' towards the end of the season and may even accept red at the close if it's more profitable to sacrifice a small number of orders in favour of keeping out-of-date stock. Estimates can be confirmed as purchase or build requests which can then be consolidated into purchase orders or build orders with scheduled "required by" dates.

Alternatively, let the Resource Engine (MRPII) take the demand you have forecast and suggest the purchasing schedule automatically for you.

Powerful selection

Stock can be reviewed one product at a time or in groups. You can select all stock of a particular type, or colour, supplier or brand. You can select to review items that are selling fast, or lines which are running low. If buying components from overseas, you may review all the stock from a particular country or goods transported in the same container or ship.

Better than just a spreadsheet

Your forecast is refreshed each time you run it, updating the current stock quantity and reflecting all sales and purchase orders received or placed. You can save your models and choose to update them as new scenarios are run - saving huge amounts of time and significantly reducing the risk of errors. Data can also be imported from spreadsheets meaning that importing customer forecasts is a breeze.

Simple & low-risk

Stock forecasting provides a constantly up-to-date and visual roadmap, presenting top-level information in a manner that's quick to review and easy to understand. It simultaneously simplifies complex yet necessary decisions and eliminates reliance on spreadsheet models - which go out of date as soon as a further sales or purchase order is placed on the system.