Configure Stock Levels

They do not add or remove stock by themselves. Instead, they define the thresholds the system can use to show low stock, reorder needs, and inventory pressure.

For example, if a frequently used item drops below the reorder point, the system can help users see that the item may need to be purchased or restocked before it causes a maintenance delay.

What stock levels are used for

Stock level settings support inventory planning.

They help your organization answer questions such as:

• When should we consider an item low on stock?
• When should we reorder?
• How many units should we normally reorder?
• What is the desired maximum stock level?
• Which items need attention before they block maintenance?

Stock levels are especially useful for parts and consumables that are used regularly, have long supplier lead times, or are critical for aircraft availability.

Stock levels do not change stock quantity

It is important to understand the difference between stock levels and stock quantity.

Stock quantity shows what you currently have.

Stock levels define when that quantity should trigger attention.

For example:

• Receiving items increases stock.
• Issuing items decreases stock.
• Stock counts and adjustments correct stock.
• Reservations reduce operational availability.
• Stock levels define when the item should be considered low or ready for reorder.

Changing the reorder point does not order material automatically by itself, and changing the minimum stock level does not change how many units are physically in stock.

Before you start

Before configuring stock levels, review how the item is used in daily operations.

Consider:

• How often the item is used
• How critical the item is for maintenance
• Supplier lead time
• Minimum order quantity
• Storage limitations
• Shelf life or expiry risk
• Cost of holding too much stock
• Whether the item is easy or difficult to source
• Whether the item is used across multiple aircraft or locations

The right stock level depends on operational risk, not only on average usage.

Open stock level settings

To configure stock levels:

1. Go to Inventory.
2. Open Items & Stock.
3. Find and open the relevant inventory item.
4. Select Set stock levels.
5. Enter the stock level values.
6. Save the stock levels.

The available fields are:

• Minimum stock level
• Maximum stock level
• Reorder point
• Reorder quantity

Minimum stock level

The minimum stock level defines the lowest quantity you normally want to keep available for the item.

Use this as a safety threshold.

If stock drops below the minimum level, the item may be considered low stock.

Example:

If your organization always wants at least 5 units of a filter available, the minimum stock level could be set to 5.

The minimum stock level should reflect operational risk. Critical items may need a higher minimum level than items that are rarely used or easy to source.

Maximum stock level

The maximum stock level defines the highest quantity you normally want to keep for the item.

This helps prevent overstocking.

Maximum stock levels are useful when:

• Storage space is limited
• The item is expensive
• The item has shelf life or expiry risk
• Demand is predictable
• You want to avoid tying up too much value in inventory

Example:

If you normally want no more than 30 units of an item in stock, set the maximum stock level to 30.

The maximum should normally be higher than or equal to the minimum stock level.

Reorder point

The reorder point defines when the item should be considered ready for replenishment.

This is the threshold where the organization should consider ordering more material.

The reorder point should normally be based on expected usage and supplier lead time.

Example:

If you use 2 units per week and the supplier lead time is 3 weeks, you may want to reorder before stock drops below 6 units. You may then set the reorder point to 6 or higher, depending on how much safety stock you want.

When minimum, maximum, and reorder point are all entered, the reorder point should be between the minimum and maximum stock levels.

Reorder quantity

The reorder quantity defines how many units you normally want to order when replenishment is needed.

This can be based on:

• Supplier minimum order quantity
• Typical usage
• Packaging size
• Internal stocking policy
• Maximum stock level
• Budget or storage constraints

Example:

If an item is normally purchased in boxes of 10, the reorder quantity may be 10 even if the current shortage is smaller.

The reorder quantity should be practical for purchasing users. It should help them create orders that match how the item is actually bought.

How stock levels affect availability

Stock levels help identify when attention is needed, but availability is calculated separately.

Available quantity may be affected by:

• Quantity on hand
• Reserved quantity
• Quarantined material
• Expired batches
• Warehouse allocation
• Serialized item status

This means an item may have stock on hand but still have low operational availability.

For example, if 10 units are on hand, but 6 are reserved and 2 are quarantined, only part of the stock may be available for new work.

Stock levels help show whether this situation creates a restocking need.

Example setup

A commonly used oil filter has the following operational pattern:

• The workshop uses the item regularly.
• Supplier lead time is around two weeks.
• The organization wants a safety buffer.
• The item is ordered in packs of 12.

A possible setup could be:

• Minimum stock level: 6
• Maximum stock level: 36
• Reorder point: 12
• Reorder quantity: 24

In this example, the reorder point gives purchasing time to react before the item reaches the minimum level.

When to leave fields blank

Not every item needs stock level configuration.

You may choose to leave stock levels blank for items that are:

• Rarely used
• Purchased only for specific work orders
• Not normally stocked
• Managed manually by another process
• One-off items
• Special order material

If an item is not intended to be stocked regularly, stock levels may create unnecessary alerts.

Good practices

• Configure stock levels for frequently used and operationally critical items.

• Use real consumption data when available.

• Consider supplier lead time when setting reorder point.

• Avoid setting the minimum stock level too low for critical material.

• Avoid setting the maximum stock level too high for expensive or expiring material.

• Set reorder quantity based on how the item is actually purchased.

• Review stock levels regularly as usage patterns change.

• Do not use stock level settings to correct quantity errors. Use stock counts or adjustments for that.

• Make sure item units of measure are correct before configuring stock levels.

Common mistakes

• Setting the reorder point lower than the minimum stock level.

• This can delay purchasing attention until the item is already below the desired safety threshold.

• Setting the maximum stock level lower than the minimum stock level.

• This creates an invalid planning range.

• Using the same stock levels for all items.

• Different items have different demand, lead time, cost, and operational importance.

• Forgetting shelf life.

• If an item expires, a high maximum stock level may create waste.

• Treating quantity on hand as available quantity.

• Some stock may be reserved, quarantined, expired, or otherwise not available for normal use.

What to read next

After configuring stock levels, continue with:

• Create Locations
• Perform Incoming Inspections
• Create Reservations
• Create Pick Lists
• Perform Stock Counts
• Create Adjustments