Inventory signals add three columns to the Inventory tab on the Stock screen. They show how quickly each item is being used, how long your current stock will last, and whether the item is at risk of running out. From there, you can jump straight into AI Replenishment to decide what to order.
Benefits
See which items need attention without exporting data or building spreadsheets
Understand demand for products and materials in one place, since sales and manufacturing consumption are combined
Go from spotting a risk to getting a replenishment recommendation in one click
The new columns
Avg daily demand (30)
The average quantity used per day over the last 30 days, shown as, for example, 12.5 /day.
Products you sell: based on sales order volume
Materials: based on consumption in completed manufacturing orders
Items that are both sold and used in production: the combined total of both
Demand is calculated across all of your locations.
Days of stock left
How many days your current In stock quantity will last at the recent rate of demand, shown as, for example, 103 days.
If there's no recent demand, you'll see ∞ days
If the item is out of stock, you'll see 0 days
Stock risk
A colored badge showing whether the item is at risk of running out:
🟢 Low risk: In stock plus Expected covers the demand expected during the item's lead time, plus its safety stock
🟡 High risk: In stock plus Expected falls short of the demand expected during the item's lead time, plus its safety stock. Order soon.
🔴 Stockout: In stock is 0. Replenish immediately.
Hover over any badge to see the calculation with that item's actual numbers.
Tip: Click any Stock risk badge to open AI Replenishment with that item already loaded. You'll get a forecast and a recommended order quantity, and you can create the PO or MO from there.
How stock risk is calculated
Katana compares the stock you have and the stock on its way against what you're likely to need before a new order arrives:
(Avg daily demand (30) × Lead time in days) + Safety stock
If In stock + Expected is at or above this amount, the item is Low risk. If it falls below, the item is High risk.
Lead time is taken from the first of these that's available:
The item's own lead time
Your default purchase order lead time (for purchased items)
Your default manufacturing order lead time (for manufactured items)
14 days, if none of the above is set
Note: Setting accurate lead times and safety stock levels on your items makes the Stock risk badge more reliable.
Where you'll see inventory signals
Where the columns appear depends on how many locations you have.
One location
The three columns appear in your main location view, after Calculated stock. Your existing columns, including Safety stock, work as they always have.
Multiple locations
The three columns appear only when All locations is selected in the location picker. They're hidden when you view a single location.
The All locations view also gains a Safety stock column, showing the total safety stock across all your locations. This column is read-only. To change an item's safety stock, switch to a specific location and edit it there.
Note: If you add or remove a location, the columns move to the right view the next time the page loads.
Good to know
Items with no recent demand show 0 /day, ∞ days, and Low risk (or Stockout if they're also out of stock)
Inventory signals don't create orders on their own. Use the Stock risk badge to open AI Replenishment, which handles recommendations and order creation.
AI Replenishment is currently in beta
Your feedback is invaluable. Let us know your thoughts on this article or anything in Katana you'd like to see improved: [email protected]