In-depth insights from managing supply chains for over 25+ years

Whether you’re new to logistics or a veteran, safety stock is an important concept that many people can be confused about. As a simple explanation, safety stock is an extra amount of stock that is maintained to mitigrate a risk of stockout. That is all well and good, but how is safety stock calculated in order to prevent a stockout? The answer to that is affected by a number of different variables: How predictable is the product in sales? How well is the forecast model fitted? What is the lead time? What is the forecast for the item? What is the confidence level and set service level? That may see like a lot, but all of these factors will affect an item’s safety stock.