Exploring the World of Technopolis Through Blogging
RoadmapIT
July 10, 2025
What Is Real-Time Inventory Visibility?
And why most factories don’t actually have it
The Problem — “The System Said Yes… But the Bin Was Empty.”
Have you ever had a day where everything looked good on paper — until reality kicked in?
- You issued a production order
- The ERP showed green lights
- Your stores team nodded
- But the rack was empty
And suddenly, everyone is scrambling.
- Dispatch gets delayed
- Production reschedules
- Purchase raises an urgent PO
- Someone says, “But the system said we had stock…”
The Everyday Struggles You Don’t See in the SOP Manual
Let’s pause for a moment. If you’re responsible for inventory — or work closely with it — ask yourself:
- Do you trust stock data without physically checking?
- Can you confidently say what’s available right now — not last week?
- How often do shortages surface only after production is hit?
If your answer isn’t “always”, you’re not alone.
The Turning Point: Visibility vs. Data
“Data tells you what happened. Visibility tells you what’s happening.”
One of our clients — an auto components plant — ran weekly audits. Clean spreadsheets. Counted bins. Printed reports.
Still, they ran out of a critical item twice in the same month.
Why? Because while reports looked fine, the shopfloor reality kept changing. QC holds, pending POs, and in-process consumption never showed up together.
What Real-Time Inventory Visibility Really Means
It’s not about fancy dashboards or barcode scanners.
It’s about answering these questions — instantly — without calling anyone:
- What’s available right now — batch-wise, bin-wise, location-wise?
- What stock is blocked for QC or production?
- What’s in transit from vendors or plants?
- What’s already low and needs reorder today?
- Can you detect shortages before production feels them?
Why This Changes Everything
- Production stops worrying about material surprises
- Purchase stops panic-ordering
- Finance starts trusting forecasts
- You stop being the middleman
How Do You Actually Get There?
Most factories try to fix this with better Excel sheets, tighter audits, or stricter controls.
But here’s the truth:
If your inventory depends on manual updates — it’s already outdated.
- GRN entry updates stock instantly
- QC holds reflect immediately
- Production consumption reduces stock in real-time
No sales pitch. Just one question.
What would your day look like if you never had to say, “Let me check and get back to you”?
