Turning low stock into a reorder task
How low stock becomes a reorder task or purchase request in the Manufacturing pack, why the low-stock flag uses a fixed default, and what to check first.
By Achekam · · 4 min read · For Manufacturing businesses in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya
Launching soon. The Industry CRM add-on described in this article is launching soon. This article describes it as it will work at launch.
Every factory has a story about the component that ran out. The line stopped because a box of fasteners was empty, or a dealer order waited a fortnight for a gasket that cost almost nothing. The opposite story is just as common: a storeroom full of parts nobody needs, bought "just in case" because nobody trusted the stock figures.
Both come from the same gap. The system may know a quantity is low, but knowing is not acting. Somebody has to turn "this is low" into "this has been ordered", and that hand-over is where things get lost.
With the fourth wave of Achekam's Industry CRM, the Manufacturing & distribution pack closes that gap: low stock can become a reorder task or a purchase request. This article explains how to use that well, and the limits of the low-stock flag behind it.
The low-stock flag and its fixed default
Achekam flags a product as low on stock when its quantity falls below a reorder level. At the time of writing, a product's reorder level cannot be changed from any screen, so low-stock flags use a fixed default rather than a level you set per product.
That matters for a manufacturer, because a single default rarely suits everything in a factory store. A fastener you use by the thousand and a motor you use one at a time do not run low at the same point. ACCA's article on inventory control explains techniques such as re-order levels and the economic order quantity, and the practical side of managing stock. Treat the flag as a prompt to look, not as a calculated reorder point:
- for fast-moving consumables, the flag may come too late to avoid a shortage, so watch them yourself;
- for slow, expensive items, the flag may come early, so check usage before ordering;
- for anything with a long supplier lead time, do not wait for the flag at all.
From a flag to a reorder task
When a product runs low, the pack can turn that into a reorder task. A task is better than a flag because it has an owner and a status. A flag on a stock screen is seen only by whoever happens to open that screen; a task sits in someone's list until it is done.
The task is where a person decides what to do: order now, order later, order a different quantity, or do nothing because the item is being discontinued. Whatever they decide, a completed task shows that the low stock was looked at, which a flag on its own never does.
Or straight to a purchase request
Low stock can also become a purchase request, the start of the normal buying process.
In Achekam's procurement, a purchase requisition says what is needed, why and the estimated cost, and someone other than the requester approves or declines it. From there, quotations, the purchase order, the delivery and the supplier's invoice follow the same controls as any other purchase, including the three-way match described in matching supplier invoices to orders and deliveries. Low stock simply starts the chain without someone having to remember to.
Who acts on the task
Decide this before the first task appears, or the tasks pile up unowned:
| Item type | Usually acts | Typical decision |
|---|---|---|
| Production raw materials | Buyer, with the production planner | Order against the production plan |
| Consumables and fasteners | Stores controller | Reorder in standard pack sizes |
| Spare parts for after-sales | Service manager | Order if warranty or service jobs need them |
| Finished goods for dealers | Sales administration | Ask production whether to make, rather than buy |
The last row is worth noting. For a manufacturer, low stock of a finished product is usually a production question, not a purchasing one. A reorder task, rather than a purchase request, is the better route for those, so that someone can decide whether to make more.
Count before you order
A reorder is only as good as the quantity it starts from. Two features of Achekam's stock handling explain why a quick check is worth it:
- Till sales reduce stock as they happen, at the till's location, so items sold over a counter show up promptly.
- Goods received do not add stock at the time of writing. A delivery recorded against a purchase order supports the match with the supplier's invoice, but it does not raise the quantity on hand. Until stock is updated, an item may still look low after it has arrived.
With the Warehousing add-on, a business keeps stock locations such as warehouses, stores, bins and vans, with the quantity on hand at each, and a stock count sets a location's quantity to what was counted, recording the difference as an adjustment. A short routine keeps reorders honest:
- When a reorder task appears, check whether a delivery for that item has arrived but not yet been reflected in stock.
- If in doubt, count the item at its location and record the count.
- Look at recent usage and any open orders before deciding the quantity.
- Record the decision on the task, even when the decision is not to order.
Where this fits
Reorder tasks are part of the same wave that links till sales to a customer's timeline and adds dashboards read from the ledger. They suit a business whose stock is already reasonably accurate; they will not rescue one whose figures nobody trusts. Start with a full count of your most important items, agree who owns each type of task, and let the tasks take over the remembering. The dealers and configured orders those items serve are covered in quoting configured products and confirming orders.
General guidance only, not advice on your own circumstances. Tax and payroll rules change: check the current position with the authority or your adviser.
