Why reorders sit between the big buys

In one line: when stock will not last the supplier’s lead time, Reorders asks for enough packs to reach the next cycle — not for another full month.

What buyers are deciding

A pharmacy’s expensive buy is the cycle order: a planned cover, often built on Demand Forecast. Between those buys, a few SKUs still run out. Amoxicillin after a heavy week is the usual case. Waiting for the next full forecast either stocks the shelf out or tempts someone to type a guess into a purchase order.

October running items — Block B & Block C is that in-between list. It watches 6 SKUs. Four have triggered this cycle. Two still need a PO, worth Rs 7,600.

SKU	Stock days	Minimum days	What the screen does
REO-0888 Demo Paracetamol 500mg	0	3	Critical. 2 packs, Rs 1,600
REO-1042 Demo Amoxicillin 500mg	3.0	5	Warn. 5 packs, Rs 6,000
REO-2201 Demo Saline 500ml	33	5	Stays off the list. 80 units already cover about a month

Paracetamol is the line that will be missed at the counter today. Saline would only tie up cash.

Paracetamol is critical (0 days left). Amoxicillin still has 3 days, inside its 5-day minimum, so it is on the list too. Saline never triggered.

How the quantity stays small

The trigger ignores how many days are left in the cycle. If cover is inside lead time plus the operational buffer, the line appears.

The quantity does use the days left. With 9 days remaining, amoxicillin’s group (SV 6.0, 18 units on hand, 6 units of missed sales) orders 42 units, which is 5 packs. A full 14-day cover would have been larger. When the cycle rolls, a leftover “needs PO” line from the old horizon is dropped so it cannot freeze the SKU. A line already Awaiting Delivery stays, because that PO is real.

Missed sales (the bounce window, 14 days in the demo) increase the order. They do not pretend to be stock on hand, so they cannot hide a stock-out.

Why one row for two brands

REO-1042 Demo Amoxicillin 500mg and REO-1043 Demo Amoxil 500mg are the same clinical choice on the shelf. Separate rows would order both and double the buy. The group adds their velocity and their stock, then raises one line on the primary. That is the same idea as a buyer who says “we’re fine, we still have the other brand.”

One buy. Primary REO-1042 (SV 4, 12 in hand) plus alternate REO-1043 (SV 2, 6 in hand) is the group line at SV 6 and 18 units.

Where this is the wrong tool

Use Replenish Stock → Planning → Demand Forecast when you are building the cycle’s cover buy: one named run, one row per product, then approve and create POs. Use Reorders when that cycle is already running and a SKU has fallen through its lead time. Use Inventory → Stock Control → Auto STRs when the stock exists in the network and should move, not when it must be bought.