Find where orders are cut short between factory, depot, and distributor
An illustrative consumer goods and distribution concept connecting distributor purchase orders, depot stock, dispatches, deliveries, and short-supply reasons for order fill rate and service level.
Order line fill rate (%)
On time in full delivery rate (%)
Short supply lines with reason code (%)
Median order to delivery time (days)
THE CHALLENGE
Distributor orders are cut without a recorded reason
Stock not visible
Closing stock is reported irregularly or not at all.
Static norms
Stock norms do not change with seasonal sales velocity.
Fast-mover gaps
High-velocity SKUs run out while slow SKUs pile up.
Ordering by habit
Primary orders follow last month's quantity rather than need.
THE SOLUTION
Order Service Level Framework
Line-level fill
Collect daily or weekly closing stock from every distributor.
Velocity-based norms
Set norms from recent secondary sales velocity and lead time.
Gap identification
Compare stock with norm for every SKU and distributor.
Order suggestion
Show suggested primary quantities for sales team review.
THE APPROACH
Order Line Tracking
Standardise closing stock submissions and track missing reports.
Sales Velocity Calculation
Calculate rolling daily secondary sales by SKU and distributor.
Norm Recalculation
Recalculate days-of-cover norms with lead time and seasonality.
Below Norm Alerts
Show available stock across depots when a line is cut.
Recurring Shortage Detection
Flag SKUs and depots with repeated short supply.
Supply Review Queue
Give supply planners a weekly list of recurring shortages with evidence.
THE IMPACT
Service visibility
Fill rates could be reported by distributor and SKU.
Cause clarity
Short supplies could be grouped by recorded reason.
Timeliness view
Late dispatches could be traced to depots.
Balanced stock
Depot imbalances could be identified for transfer review.
Controlled review
Authorized teams could review recurring short supplies, late dispatches, and SKUs with low fill rates, with source evidence retained beside each review case.
Measurable evaluation
A pilot could establish baseline values for order line fill rate (%) and assess changes after approved actions. Descriptive results alone would not establish causality.
Explore Distributor Inventory And Stock Norms
Work with RUSA Analytics to connect distributor closing stock, stock norms, secondary sales velocity, and pending primary orders and create a governed workflow to review distributors below stock norm on fast movers or holding excess slow stock. Start with a scoped concept or pilot and agreed success measures.
MORE WORK
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