|
<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation: MLS 2026 Operations & Reference Guide > Inventory > Inventory Data Overview > Tracking Inventory Stock Data |
MLS 2026 continuously tracks inventory activity in real time.
The Inventory system maintains:
•stock quantities
•purchase activity
•sales history
•reorder levels
•stocking patterns
•vendor information
•core tracking
throughout daily operations.
Accurate stock tracking is essential for:
•purchasing efficiency
•inventory valuation
•workflow management
•profitability
•customer service
within the business.
The:
👉 Stock On Hand
field reflects:
👉 the actual quantity physically available
on:
•shelves
•storage racks
•warehouse locations
•inventory bins
within the business.
This value changes automatically during:
•workorder processing
•stock input
•purchase receiving
•inventory adjustments
throughout MLS 2026.
⚠️ During initial system setup:
👉 inventory counts may change
while data entry is still being performed.
Because parts may continue to be:
•sold
•purchased
•installed
during setup:
👉 it is recommended that:
•actual shelf counts be entered initially
rather than trying to manually estimate future activity.
Once setup is complete:
1.Run inventory reports
2.Perform a physical inventory count
3.Compare the results
4.Use Stock Input or adjustments to correct differences
This creates a much more accurate starting inventory base.
MLS 2026 separately tracks:
•inventory physically available
and
•inventory already ordered.
This distinction is extremely important.
Reflects:
👉 inventory physically present.
Reflects:
👉 inventory currently pending on Purchase Orders.
This quantity is maintained automatically by:
👉 the Purchase Order system.
When inventory is ordered using:
👉 Purchase Orders
the:
👉 On Order
quantity automatically increases.
When inventory is later:
👉 received through Stock Input
MLS 2026 automatically:
•decreases the On Order quantity
•increases Stock On Hand
•updates inventory costs
appropriately.
This provides accurate tracking of:
•incoming inventory
•pending orders
•expected replenishment
without requiring manual calculations.
Whenever parts are added to:
👉 workorders
MLS 2026 automatically:
👉 reduces:
•Stock On Hand
by the quantity used.
This creates:
•live inventory tracking
•accurate stock counts
•updated sales history
•current inventory availability
throughout the system.
⚠️ Inventory should NOT normally be adjusted manually when receiving stock.
Some users attempt to:
👉 directly increase:
•Stock On Hand
instead of using:
👉 Stock Input.
This is strongly discouraged.
When inventory is received through:
👉 Stock Input
MLS 2026 also updates:
•Average Cost
•purchase history
•vendor information
•inventory valuation
•purchasing statistics
Manually adjusting stock quantities bypasses these calculations and may create:
•incorrect inventory valuation
•inaccurate costing
•distorted profitability
•unreliable inventory history
within the system.
MLS 2026 includes specialized tracking for:
👉 core inventory.
This is especially valuable for:
•remanufactured parts
•rebuildable components
•exchange inventory
commonly used in repair industries.
The:
👉 Core In House
field tracks:
👉 used cores physically in your possession
that are awaiting:
•vendor return
•rebuild processing
•core credit handling
The:
👉 Due Back
field tracks:
👉 customer cores still expected to be returned.
This commonly occurs during:
•counter sales
•delayed core returns
•exchange component programs
⚠️ During initial implementation:
👉 manually tracked cores
are often best handled separately until:
•existing transactions are completed
•prior core activity is resolved
Afterward:
👉 MLS 2026 can fully maintain:
•core tracking
•due-back tracking
•inventory adjustments
automatically through workorder activity.
The:
👉 Minimum
field identifies:
👉 the inventory level at which replenishment should occur.
When stock falls below this level:
👉 the item should normally be reordered.
Proper minimum levels help:
•prevent shortages
•reduce emergency purchases
•improve workflow continuity
while avoiding excessive overstocking.
One common formula is:
Minimum =
(Sales Per Day × Days To Restock) × Safety Factor
Example:
If:
•average sales = 2 per day
•restock time = 5 days
•safety factor = 20%
then:
2 × 5 × 1.2 = 12
This suggests a minimum stocking level of:
👉 12 units.
The safety factor provides additional protection against:
•delayed shipments
•unexpected demand
•seasonal fluctuations
The:
👉 Stock To
or:
👉 Stocking Level
defines:
👉 the desired replenishment quantity.
This is the quantity to which inventory should be restored when ordering.
A common formula is:
((Sales Per Day × Restocking Interval) × Safety Factor) + Minimum
Example:
If:
•2 units sold daily
•10-day restocking interval
•20% safety factor
•minimum level = 12
then:
((2 × 10 × 1.2) + 12) = 36
This suggests:
👉 restocking inventory to 36 units.
No inventory formula is perfect.
However:
👉 using consistent calculations helps improve:
•purchasing accuracy
•inventory availability
•cash management
•shelf efficiency
within the business.
Stocking levels should still be reviewed periodically based on:
•sales changes
•seasonality
•vendor availability
•business growth
MLS 2026 automatically tracks:
•Month-To-Date sales
•Year-To-Date sales
•monthly history totals
•prior year totals
•sales dates
•purchase dates
for every inventory item.
This creates extremely valuable:
👉 inventory intelligence.
The system continuously updates:
•MTD totals
•YTD totals
whenever inventory is sold through:
👉 live workorder processing.
No manual updating is required.
MLS 2026 also tracks:
👉 monthly sales totals
for each inventory item throughout the fiscal year.
This allows management to analyze:
•seasonal trends
•inventory movement
•purchasing patterns
•long-term sales activity
with considerable accuracy.
During year-end processing:
👉 current year totals are preserved
into:
•Last Year (-1)
•Prior Year (-2)
history fields.
This allows long-term comparison of:
•inventory movement
•changing demand
•stocking patterns
•purchasing trends
over multiple years.
MLS 2026 automatically tracks:
👉 when inventory was:
•last purchased
•last sold
This information becomes extremely valuable when:
•reviewing slow-moving inventory
•analyzing stocking needs
•adjusting reorder levels
•evaluating obsolete inventory
The combination of:
•sales history
•stocking levels
•last sale dates
•purchase activity
helps management make:
👉 much smarter inventory decisions.
For example:
👉 if a part reaches minimum stock
but:
👉 has not sold recently
management may choose to:
•delay reordering
•reduce stocking levels
•discontinue stocking entirely
depending on availability and demand.
One of the major strengths of MLS 2026 is that it tracks:
👉 BOTH:
•stocked inventory
and
•non-stocked inventory
automatically.
Even special-order parts are:
👉 retained in inventory history
for:
•future searches
•repeat sales
•pricing reference
•purchasing analysis
This creates a highly intelligent inventory tracking system specifically designed for:
👉 real-world repair operations.
Inventory records also maintain:
👉 vendor references
for purchasing.
These vendor links help:
•automate purchasing
•simplify reordering
•improve vendor analysis
•speed inventory replenishment
⚠️ Always use:
👉 the proper A/P vendor account numbers
rather than creating unofficial codes.
Correct vendor references are essential for:
•Purchase Orders
•Accounts Payable
•inventory receiving
•automatic purchasing workflow
within MLS 2026.
Inventory is not simply:
👉 parts sitting on shelves.
It represents:
•operational readiness
•tied-up capital
•purchasing efficiency
•workflow continuity
•profitability
MLS 2026 continuously tracks inventory activity to help businesses:
•reduce waste
•improve purchasing
•maintain accurate inventory
•increase operational efficiency
throughout the entire service operation.
•Use Stock Input for receiving inventory
•Avoid manually changing Stock On Hand quantities
•Review minimum and stocking levels regularly
•Monitor slow-moving inventory
•Verify physical inventory periodically
•Maintain accurate vendor references
•Use sales history when adjusting stocking levels
•Monitor core returns carefully
•Review last sale dates during purchasing
•Analyze non-stock inventory regularly
•Use safety factors appropriate for vendor delivery times
This section works closely with:
•Inventory Editor
•Stocking Parts
•Non-Stocking Parts
•Purchase Orders
•Stock Input
•Vendor Management
•Inventory Reports
•Inventory Costing
•Workorders
•Accounting Integration
Together, these sections provide a complete inventory tracking and inventory management workflow system within MLS 2026.