🎯 Setting and Maintaining the Minimum Stock Level
The Minimum Stock Level represents the desired lowest quantity of a product you want to have available in your warehouse at any given time.
Optiply uses this value as a foundational purchasing constraint: the purchase advice for a product will always increase your stock to at least this level, and never lower. The only way to stop purchasing a product is to set the Minimum Stock Level to 0, disable the product, or mark it as phased out.
Critical Interactions
1. Impact on Phased-Out Items
The Minimum Stock Level overrides a product's phased-out status.
Rule: If a phased-out product has a Minimum Stock Level greater than 0, Optiply will suggest ordering the item to meet that minimum requirement.
Example: If a phased-out product's Minimum Stock Level is set to 1, the system will recommend ordering enough to ensure 1 unit is always in stock, despite its phase-out status.
Action: If you see a phased-out item appear in an order and you do not wish to order it, you must either set its Minimum Stock Level to 0 or manually remove the item from the purchase order.
2. Interaction with the Backorder Feature
If you want Optiply to automatically intervene and place an extra, unscheduled order before your next review period, you need to activate the Backorder Feature.
This feature allows the system to plan an emergency order moment when your stock level falls below the Minimum Stock Level, provided all order conditions (MOQ, order costs) are met.
How to Set the Minimum Stock Level
You can set or change the Minimum Stock Level using two primary methods:
Method 1: On the Product Page (Global Setting)
Go to the Product Page: Navigate to the Products overview and select the product you wish to edit.
Navigate to Information: Select the Information tab.
Find Constraints: Scroll down to the product settings section and locate "Manual stock constraints."
Change Value: Change the value for the minimum stock level.
Save Changes: Click Save at the top of the page.
Method 2: Inside a Purchase Order (Quick Edit)
Open the Order: Navigate to and open the purchase order.
Select Product: Click on the product line item you want to adjust to open the product overlay.
Go to Product Tab: Select the product tab inside the overlay.
Change Value: Scroll down to Manual stock constraints and change the minimum stock level value.
Save Changes: Click Save.
Bulk Update and API Access
The Minimum Stock level can also be updated in bulk:
API Access: This value is an attribute on the product endpoint via the Public API.
Bulk Import: You can use an import template to update this attribute for multiple products simultaneously. Visit the Import Products page to find the template.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the difference between Safety Stock and Minimum Stock Level?
Safety Stock is the dynamic buffer calculated by Optiply to cover forecast error and supplier risk. Minimum Stock Level is a fixed, manual constraint that overrides Optiply's calculation if the calculated advice is too low.
If my stock falls below the Minimum Stock Level, will an order be placed immediately?
An order will not be placed immediately unless the Backorder Feature is active, and the stock drop triggered a check where the order conditions (e.g., meeting the supplier's MOQ) were met. Otherwise, the low stock will simply be factored into your next scheduled review.
If I set the Minimum Stock Level to 0, does that mean Optiply won't order the product?
Setting the Minimum Stock Level to 0 removes the manual constraint. Optiply will then rely entirely on its calculated Safety Stock and Forecast to determine the optimal purchasing quantity. If both the Safety Stock and the Forecast demand are also 0, then Optiply will not order the product.
Does the Minimum Stock Level override the Phased Out status?
Yes. If the Minimum Stock Level is greater than 0, it overrides the Phase Out status, forcing Optiply to suggest ordering the item to maintain the manual stock constraint.