Allocate inventory by rules, not by whoever asks first.
When demand exceeds supply, allocation decisions determine who gets product and who waits. Most manufacturers make these decisions in spreadsheets, email threads, or by whoever gets to the warehouse manager first. We replace that with rules-based allocation logic that\u2019s governed, auditable, and integrated with your ERP.
Inventory Allocation by Spreadsheet and Politics
Service Scope
Define allocation rules by customer tier, channel priority, order type, and product category. Rules execute automatically when inventory is received or demand changes \u2014 no manual intervention.
Allocate across warehouses based on proximity, stock levels, shipping cost, and fulfillment capacity. The engine considers all locations simultaneously, not one at a time.
Prioritize allocation by channel \u2014 contract orders before spot sales, key accounts before general distribution, backorders before new orders. Business priorities enforced systematically.
Real-time ATP that reflects current allocations, not just raw inventory counts. Sales and portal systems show what\u2019s actually available to promise, not what\u2019s in the warehouse.
Full visibility into what\u2019s allocated to whom, why, and when. Every allocation decision is logged with the rule that triggered it \u2014 no more "who took my inventory?" conversations.
Allocation engine reads inventory from and writes allocation commitments back to your ERP and WMS. Sales, operations, and warehouse all see the same allocated state.
Engagement Process
Document current allocation practices, customer tiers, channel priorities, and pain points. Identify where allocation decisions are being made and what rules (if any) govern them.
Design the allocation rules hierarchy \u2014 tier priorities, channel rules, product-level overrides, and exception handling. Get business stakeholder sign-off on the priority logic before building.
Build the allocation engine and integrate with your ERP inventory module and WMS. Real-time inventory feeds trigger allocation recalculation as stock moves.
Test allocation scenarios against historical demand patterns. Validate that the rules produce the expected outcomes for normal, constrained, and peak-demand situations.
Deploy with allocation dashboards and audit reporting. Tune rules based on real-world results and evolving business priorities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every engagement starts with an assessment.
Not a proposal. Not a sales call. We tell you what we find, not what you want to hear. The Launchpad assessment maps your operation before any software work begins.