Idea: forward stock forecasting and the ability to raise kit builds when component stock is short

Summary

Mintsoft currently tells us where our stock is today, but not what we are already committed to in the weeks and months ahead. For a business that sells both single grocery lines and gift packs built from those same lines, this creates a blind spot that leads directly to stock outs. We would like a forward view of demand, and the ability to raise a kit build even when the components are not yet in stock.

The problem

Our stock report shows current position only: stock, stock used, available on hand, back orders. It is accurate for today and silent about tomorrow.

A worked example:

• The report shows 100 units of Turkey Rub in stock. Nothing is flagged, so the production team reads this as covered.

• We have a confirmed order for 1,000 gift packs to be built next month. Each gift pack contains one Turkey Rub, alongside several other lines.

• We therefore need 1,000 units for that single order, plus our normal requirement for standalone grocery sales of the same SKU.

• We are roughly 900 units short, and nothing in Mintsoft says so.

The second half of the problem compounds the first. We cannot raise the kit build in Mintsoft, because the system will not let us create one without the component stock being present. The single record that would make this demand visible is the record we are blocked from creating. The commitment exists in the business but has no representation in the system.

The result is that production planning happens in spreadsheets outside Mintsoft, and the team on the floor is working from a stock report that does not reflect what has actually been sold.

The solution

Three changes would close the gap. They build on each other, but the first alone would deliver most of the value.

1. Allow kit builds to be raised when component stock is insufficient

Let us create a kit build with a quantity and a required by date even when components are short. It sits in a planned or pending state rather than processing, and displays a component shortfall against each line. Nothing is deducted until it is actually built. This turns an invisible commitment into a visible work order.

2. A component requirement report (bill of materials explosion)

For every planned kit build and open sales order, explode down to component level and show per SKU:

• free stock now

• quantity committed to planned kit builds

• quantity committed to standalone sales orders

• resulting shortfall

• date first required

Effectively a "what do we need to make, and by when" list, sorted by date required. This is the report the production team would work from each morning.

3. Forward stock projection by date

A view per SKU showing, week by week or month by month:

• opening stock

• expected inbound (purchase orders, scheduled kit builds completing, production)

• expected outbound (sales orders, planned kit builds, forecast)

• projected closing stock

Highlight any period where projected stock falls below zero or below the reorder level. That single highlight is what would have caught the Turkey Rub example months in advance.

Useful additions

• Manual sales forecast entry or import per SKU by month, so seasonal peaks are included in the projection rather than only confirmed orders.

• Component lead times held against each SKU, so the report can flag when an order needs raising rather than only when stock runs out.

• A warning at the point of confirming a large kit build order that highlights which components will fall short.

Why this matters

Gift pack and hamper businesses are highly seasonal, with a large share of annual volume landing in a short window. Component production and raw material lead times run to weeks. By the time a live stock report shows a shortage, it is already too late to make the product. We need the shortfall to appear when the order is taken, not when the shelf is empty.

This is not a niche requirement. Any Mintsoft client that builds kits, bundles, hampers or multipacks from stocked components will have exactly the same blind spot, and will be managing it in spreadsheets as we are.