We moved to twice-weekly cycle counts and tightened min/max around a 12-day lead time; write-offs fell 18% last quarter, but we still had two stockouts on a fast mover. What’s working for you to balance safety stock against spoilage — any luck with dynamic reorder points tied to demand variance instead of static forecasts?
We moved to dynamic reorder points using z times the stdev of demand over lead time per SKU and recalc weekly; for the ‘fast mover’ we target a higher service level and add a floor so variance spikes don’t blow up stock — like cruise control with a speed cap. Are you smoothing the variance with EWMA or letting raw weekly swings drive it?
Could you make the fast mover continuous review and size SS on 12‑day CV? Slight spoilage tradeoff, @emartin92.
Try a ‘freshness‑capped’ safety stock: SS = min(z·σ over your 12‑day lead time, daily demand × average sellable shelf‑life) and enforce FEFO so the cap sticks. For the top seller, review daily with an order‑up‑to that respects case packs; a tiny 1‑day backstop that auto‑expedites if touched helps without bloating waste, @emartin92.