Inventory Management Module Guide

The Vendra Inventory module tracks every movement of physical goods — from the moment a purchase order is confirmed to the moment a product is sold at the till or delivered to a customer. It maintains accurate stock levels in real time, supports complex warehouse structures, and integrates with accounting to keep your balance sheet current.

Products and product categories

Every item you buy or sell is a product record in Vendra. A product has a name, internal reference, barcode, sales price, cost price, unit of measure, and product type. Set the type to Storable Product for any item you want tracked in inventory. Consumables and services do not affect stock levels.

Product categories group products for costing rules, removal strategies, and reporting. A category defines the costing method that applies to all products within it — average cost, standard cost, or FIFO. You can set a removal strategy (FIFO, FEFO, or LIFO) on the category to control which stock is picked first. Categories also determine which expense account is debited when stock is scrapped.

Warehouses and storage locations

A warehouse is a top-level physical site. Each warehouse contains a location hierarchy that represents the actual storage layout of that site. A typical structure looks like:

• Warehouse → Main Storage → Shelf A → Bin A-01
• Warehouse → Main Storage → Shelf B → Bin B-03
• Warehouse → Retail Floor → Section 1
• Warehouse → Cold Room

Create and manage locations in Inventory → Configuration → Locations. Each location can be physical (a real shelf or bin), virtual (transit, scrap, or lost and found), or a partner location (a customer or vendor site). Enabling multi-location warehousing in Configuration → Settings lets you track stock at bin level.

How to receive stock

Stock is received through a Receipt operation, which is typically triggered automatically when a Purchase Order is confirmed. Here is the full flow:

1. Confirm a Purchase Order in the Purchase module. This creates a pending Receipt in Inventory automatically.
2. Go to Inventory → Overview and click the Receipts card, or open the Purchase Order and click Receive Products.
3. Find the receipt for your supplier. It shows the products and quantities expected.
4. When the physical delivery arrives, enter the actual quantities received in the Done column. If a partial delivery arrives, enter only what came — the remaining quantity stays open for a future receipt.
5. If you are tracking lots or serial numbers, scan or enter the lot number for each product line before validating.
6. Click Validate to confirm the receipt. Stock levels update immediately and the system posts a journal entry increasing your inventory asset value.

Transferring stock between locations

An internal transfer moves stock from one location to another within the same company — for example, from the main warehouse to the retail floor, or between branches on a multi-location setup.

1. Go to Inventory → Operations → Transfers and click New.
2. Set the operation type to Internal Transfer.
3. Set the Source Location (where stock is coming from) and Destination Location (where it is going).
4. Add product lines with the quantities to move.
5. Click Validate to confirm the transfer. Both locations update immediately.

Lot and batch tracking

Enable Traceability in Inventory → Configuration → Settings to activate lot and serial number tracking. Once enabled, you can assign tracking per product:

• By Lot — One lot number per batch (e.g., 500 units from the same production run). Ideal for food, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.
• By Serial Number — One serial number per individual unit. Ideal for electronics, equipment, and high-value goods.

When receiving a tracked product, you enter or scan the lot/serial number on the receipt. The system records which lot is in which location. You can view all lot records from Inventory → Products → Lots/Serial Numbers, including the current location, quantity, and expiry date of each batch.

Expiry date management

Expiry dates are recorded on lot numbers at the time of receipt. When you receive a delivery of a lot-tracked product, enter the expiry date in the lot record. The system stores this and can alert you when a lot is approaching expiry.

To enforce first-expiry-first-out picking, set the removal strategy on the product category to FEFO. When stock is picked for a sale or transfer, Vendra automatically selects the lot with the nearest expiry date first — without any manual selection needed by the warehouse team.

Run a near-expiry report by going to Inventory → Products → Lots/Serial Numbers and filtering by expiry date. This shows every lot expiring within any date range you choose, so your team can prioritize selling, discounting, or pulling affected stock before it expires on the shelf.

Reorder rules

A reorder rule tells Vendra to generate a draft purchase order automatically when a product's stock falls below a defined minimum level. This prevents stockouts without requiring manual monitoring.

1. Go to Inventory → Products → Reorder List, or open a product and click the Replenishment button.
2. Click New to create a rule for the product.
3. Set the Location (typically your main warehouse).
4. Set the Minimum Quantity — the stock level at which replenishment is triggered.
5. Set the Maximum Quantity — the level the system orders up to when replenishing.
6. Set the Quantity Multiple if your supplier has a minimum order quantity (e.g., always order in multiples of 12).
7. Select Buy as the replenishment route for products sourced from suppliers.
8. Save the rule. The scheduler checks all rules periodically and generates draft purchase orders automatically when minimums are breached.

To trigger an immediate check, go to Inventory → Operations → Replenishment and click Run Scheduler. All products currently below their minimum level appear with a draft purchase order quantity pre-calculated.

Stock valuation methods

Vendra supports three costing methods, set per product category:

Physical inventory and stock counts

A physical inventory count reconciles the system's recorded quantities against what is actually on the shelf. Run counts on a schedule to catch shrinkage, counting errors, or discrepancies early.

1. Go to Inventory → Operations → Physical Inventory.
2. Click New Inventory Adjustment. Select the location(s) to count and the products to include. You can count all products in a location or select specific items.
3. For each product line, enter the actual counted quantity in the Counted Quantity column. The system shows the difference between its recorded quantity and your count.
4. Review all differences. Investigate any large discrepancies before posting.
5. Click Apply All to post the adjustment. Stock levels are updated and a journal entry is created for the monetary value of any difference, posting gains or losses to your inventory adjustment account.

Scrap and write-offs

To remove damaged, expired, or lost goods from inventory, use the Scrap function. Go to Inventory → Operations → Scrap, click New, select the product and quantity, choose the source location, and optionally select the specific lot or serial number. Click Validate. The stock is removed from inventory and a loss entry is posted to accounting for the cost of the scrapped goods.