Low-stock thresholds and automatic reordering

Get told when a material runs low, and let Kerno draft the purchase order for you. Both use the same low-stock threshold on the material.

Before you start

Link the material to a supplier SKU, ideally marked preferred, and give the supplier an email address. See Add a supplier and supplier SKUs.

Set up reordering

1. Open the material, click the Reordering tab and turn on Reorder automatically.
2. Enter the Low-stock threshold in the material's inventory unit. Kerno reorders when available stock falls to this amount.
3. Enter the Reorder quantity and its Unit. It's ordered in the SKU's purchase unit, and at least the SKU's MOQ.
4. Check the Supplier SKU. Leave it on Use the preferred SKU to order from the preferred supplier.
5. Click Save reorder settings.

Next automatic PO shows the supplier, the line, its total, where it ships and what happens next. Recent decisions lists Kerno's automatic decisions for the material.

What happens next

Kerno checks stock every 10 minutes. When available stock reaches the threshold, it creates a purchase order. Other materials from the same supplier that run low in the same check go on the same PO.

What happens to the PO next depends on the approval policy. To see or change it, click Change beside Approval on the Reordering tab, which opens Automatic PO settings:

• Every automatic PO needs approval is the default. Each PO waits as a draft until an owner or admin approves and sends it.
• Approve automatically up to a spend limit emails POs at or under the limit right away. Larger ones wait as drafts for approval.
• Send every automatic PO without approval emails each PO as soon as Kerno creates it, and owners and admins are told it was sent.

Good to know

• Automatic reordering can't be saved for a supplier without an email address, because Kerno can't send it purchase orders. Add the email, or choose a SKU from another supplier.

• With Reorder automatically off, the threshold still drives low-stock alerts.
• Owners and admins get an alert the first time available stock is at or below the threshold. How often it repeats is set in Settings, Workspace, under Low-stock alerts, separately for Materials and Finished goods: once a day while it stays low, only once, or once a week while it stays low. Materials can also repeat once a day until a purchase order is created; a PO that is drafted, sent, confirmed or partially received counts. Once stock is back above the threshold, the next drop starts with a new first alert.

• Require manual approval puts the material on its own PO, which always waits for approval.
• Customize for this material changes the ship-to, recipients and message for this material only.

Related articles

• Add a supplier and supplier SKUs
• Send and receive a purchase order
• Add a material and its opening stock