Inventory or stock management and warehouse management tend to be two
very distinct roles.
Warehouse managers are in a position to advise their inventory colleagues on levels of safety stock and the specific movements and characteristics of particular stock items. However, they tend to stop short of determining stock levels.
This function is a major part of a company’s operation and the theories and practices are covered in many books on the subject of inventory management. Although the majority of warehouse managers are not involved directly in the choice, purchase and replenishment of stock, they can play a role in the identification of fast-, medium-, slow-, non-moving and obsolete stock. This can be done using one of the mainstays of a warehouse manager’s armoury – an ABC classification. The information can normally be obtainedfrom the WMS and as mentioned in Chapter 4 a simple spreadsheet can categorize stock items by volume and frequency of sales. A warehouse manager can extend the normal classification to include nonmoving and obsolete stock together with identifying stock that may not require storage in the warehouse but can be despatched direct from the supplier to the end customer where the lead-time is in line with the customer’s requirement.
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