The stockout is the avoidable disaster. A laser session cancelled because the consumable is missing. A patient turned away because the medication is out. Both are preventable with reorder points and low-stock alerts. Set the right level, the system warns you when stock dips, automation can even create the purchase request. This article walks the discipline that prevents the empty shelf.

Where it lives#

Inventory → Low stock alerts: dashboard of items running low, ranked by predicted days of cover.
Reorder rules: a per-product minimum quantity that fires the low-stock notification.
Inventory → Replenishment suggestions: turn a low-stock item into a purchase order.

Setting reorder points#

The reorder rule today is a single minimum quantity you set per product. When available stock (on-hand minus reserved) falls to or below it, the low-stock notification fires. The system does not auto-compute the minimum, so set it deliberately.

A good way to choose the minimum#

A sound minimum covers demand during the vendor's lead time plus a safety buffer:

minimum ≈ (average daily consumption × lead time in days) + a safety buffer

Average daily consumption: from your own history.
Lead time: days from order to receipt for that vendor.
Safety buffer: extra cover for demand spikes or vendor delay, typically 7-14 days of consumption.

Example#

Filler ampoule: 5 used per day, vendor lead time 7 days, 7 days of safety buffer.
Minimum ≈ (5 × 7) + (5 × 7) = 70 ampoules. Set the rule's minimum to 70.
When available stock drops to 70, the alert fires and you place the order.

Order quantity (Min-Max model)#

Reorder point is the trigger.
Maximum stock is the target level after replenishment.
Order quantity = maximum minus current.
For example, max 150, current 70, order 80.

Per-product configuration#

Open the product's reorder rule.
Set the minimum quantity (the alert trigger) and, optionally, a maximum and a lead time.
Save. The minimum drives the low-stock alert. There is no separate safety-stock field; fold the buffer into the minimum.

Per-branch override#

Each branch may have different velocity and lead time.
Set a separate minimum per product per warehouse so a high-volume branch and a low-volume one each alert at the right level.

Low-stock alerts#

Alert levels#

Two independent mechanisms surface low stock, and they don't use the same trigger: