Course Title

Day 1 — Inventory Management Fundamentals and Planning

1. Introduction to Inventory and Warehouse Management

1.1 Strategic Role of Inventory and Warehousing

• Inventory as a strategic supply chain asset — balancing service level against working capital cost

• Warehousing functions in the supply chain including (receiving, storage, order fulfillment, and value-added services)

• Types of inventory including (raw material, work-in-process, finished goods, MRO — Maintenance, Repair, and Operations — and safety stock)

• Warehouse types including (distribution center, fulfillment center, bonded warehouse, cold store, and automated storage facility)

• Applicable frameworks including (APICS CPIM body of knowledge, CIPS warehousing framework, and ISO 9001:2015)

1.2 Inventory Cost Components

• Holding cost including (capital tied up, storage space, insurance, obsolescence, and deterioration)

• Ordering cost including (procurement processing, supplier communication, and incoming inspection)

• Stockout cost including (lost sales, emergency procurement premium, and production downtime)

• Total inventory cost optimization — balancing all three cost components to minimize total cost

2. Demand Forecasting and Inventory Planning

2.1 Demand Forecasting

• Qualitative forecasting methods including (expert judgment, Delphi method, and market research)

• Quantitative forecasting methods including (moving average, exponential smoothing, and trend analysis)

• Forecast accuracy measurement including (Mean Absolute Deviation — MAD, Mean Absolute Percentage Error — MAPE, and bias detection)

• Demand variability and its impact on safety stock requirements

• Seasonal and promotional demand management including (demand sensing and pre-build strategy)

2.2 Inventory Planning Models

• Economic Order Quantity — EOQ model including (formula application, assumptions, and practical limitations)

• Reorder Point — ROP calculation including (average demand during lead time plus safety stock)

• Safety stock calculation including (service level factor, demand variability, and lead time variability)

• Min-Max replenishment system including (setting minimum and maximum stock levels by SKU)

• Just-In-Time — JIT inventory principles including (pull-based replenishment, Kanban systems, and supplier proximity requirements)

• Vendor Managed Inventory — VMI including (supplier visibility to customer stock levels, replenishment authority, and performance metrics)

3. ABC Analysis and Inventory Classification

• ABC Analysis methodology including (ranking SKUs by annual consumption value — A items: top 20% of SKUs generating 80% of value, B items: mid-range, and C items: high count, low value)

• Differential inventory control strategies by class including (A items: tight control, frequent review, and low safety stock, B items: periodic review, and C items: bulk ordering and relaxed review frequency)

• XYZ Analysis — demand variability classification including (X: stable demand, Y: variable demand, and Z: irregular demand — and combining ABC-XYZ for compound inventory strategy)

• Slow-moving and obsolete stock — SMOS — management including (identification criteria, disposal authorization, and write-off process)

• Spare parts and MRO inventory classification including (critical spares — no stockout tolerance, insurance spares — strategic hold, and consumables — standard reorder policy)

4. Supplier Management and Procurement Interface

4.1 Supplier Performance and Inventory Interface

• Lead time management including (supplier lead time, internal processing lead time, and total replenishment lead time — and their combined effect on reorder point)

• Supplier on-time delivery performance monitoring including (OTD rate impact on safety stock requirement and stockout risk)

• Purchase order management including (PO creation, confirmation, expediting, and receipt matching)

• Multi-supplier strategy for critical items including (dual sourcing to reduce supply disruption risk)

4.2 Goods Receipt and Inspection

• Goods receipt procedure per ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.4 including (PO matching, quantity verification, and condition inspection before acceptance)

• Incoming inspection including (sampling inspection per AQL, certificate of conformity verification, and product specification compliance check)

• Nonconforming goods management per ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.7 including (quarantine, supplier notification, return or disposal authorization, and NCR completion)

• Traceability requirement per ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.5.2 including (batch number, serial number, and date code recording at receipt)

Day 2 — Warehouse Operations and Storage Management

5. Warehouse Layout and Space Management

5.1 Warehouse Layout Design

• Layout design principles including (minimizing total travel distance, separating inbound and outbound flows, and positioning fast-moving items nearest to dispatch)

• Aisle configuration options including (single-deep selective racking, double-deep racking, drive-in racking, and narrow aisle high-bay for maximum storage density)

• ABC-based slotting including (locating A items in the golden zone — waist height near dispatch, B items at medium distance, and C items in bulk or remote locations)

• Cross-docking area design including (staging lanes, flow-through configuration, and time-window management for cross-dock operations)

5.2 Space Utilization and Capacity Management

• Space utilization calculation including (cubic utilization rate — actual stock volume divided by available storage volume — and floor space utilization rate)

• Seasonal capacity management including (overflow storage agreements, temporary racking, and third-party warehouse use during peak periods)

• Racking load compliance including (bay load limits, floor load limits, and the prohibition on overloading racking systems beyond rated capacity)

• Warehouse layout review triggers including (product range change, throughput increase, and new equipment introduction)

6. Stock Location and Storage Management

• Stock location systems including (fixed location — same product always in the same location, random location — WMS-assigned, and zoned — by product category or pick frequency)

• FIFO — First-In-First-Out stock rotation including (receiving new stock behind existing stock, date-coded product rotation, and expiry date management)

• Hazardous material storage requirements including (segregation of incompatible materials, ventilated storage for flammable goods, and SDS — Safety Data Sheet — availability)

• Environmental storage conditions management including (temperature and humidity control for sensitive products, cold chain compliance, and monitoring log maintenance)

• Product identification and labeling per ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.5.2 including (location label, product code, batch number, and quantity per bin)

• Customer-owned property management per ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.5.3 including (clear identification, segregation from own stock, and damage reporting procedure)

7. Order Picking, Packing, and Dispatch

7.1 Picking Methods

• Single order picking — picker follows one order at a time — simplest method, highest travel time

• Batch picking — one picker fulfills multiple orders simultaneously — reduces travel time per order

• Zone picking — each picker covers a defined warehouse zone — reduces congestion in large facilities

• Wave picking — orders released in defined waves timed to truck departures — optimizes dispatch synchronization

• Pick-to-light and put-to-light systems — light-directed picking for high-speed order fulfillment environments

• Voice-directed picking — hands-free audio-guided picking — improves accuracy and throughput in distribution centers

7.2 Packing and Dispatch

• Packing quality control including (correct packaging selection for product fragility, quantity accuracy confirmation, and damage-free presentation)

• Outbound documentation including (delivery note, packing list, dangerous goods declaration where applicable, and proof of delivery)

• Loading plan and vehicle utilization including (load sequence planning to optimize delivery route drops, weight distribution compliance, and load securing)

• Dispatch accuracy KPI including (on-time, in-full — OTIF — rate as the primary customer service metric)

8. Stock Counting and Inventory Accuracy

• Annual physical inventory count including (count preparation, freezing stock movements, blind count methodology, and variance investigation)

• Cycle counting per APICS CPIM best practice including (A item daily counting, B item weekly, and C item monthly — and the advantage of cycle counting over annual counts for maintaining accuracy)

• Inventory accuracy target including (minimum 99% location accuracy as the industry benchmark for warehouse management effectiveness)

• Variance investigation and root cause including (system entry error, theft, mis-pick, receiving error, and damage — applying RCA to recurring variance patterns)

• Write-off and adjustment authorization including (materiality threshold, management approval level, and adjustment audit trail in the WMS or ERP)

• Count record management per ISO 9001:2015 Clause 7.5 including (count sheet retention, variance log, and corrective action record)

Day 3 — Technology, Performance, HSE, Quality, and Case Studies

9. Warehouse Management Systems and Technology

9.1 WMS Functionality

• Core WMS modules including (receiving, putaway, location management, picking, packing, dispatch, and cycle counting)

• Real-time inventory visibility including (stock on hand by location, in-transit inventory, and reserved stock for open orders)

• Barcode and RFID — Radio Frequency Identification — scanning including (scan-to-confirm accuracy enforcement at each warehouse transaction)

• WMS integration with ERP including (inventory data synchronization, purchase order receipt confirmation, and sales order release)

• WMS KPI dashboards including (pick productivity, order accuracy rate, inventory record accuracy, and dock utilization)

9.2 Warehouse Automation and Emerging Technology

• Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems — AS/RS including (vertical lift modules, carousel systems, and miniload AS/RS for high-SKU count operations)

• Autonomous Mobile Robots — AMR including (goods-to-person picking robots, autonomous pallet movers, and AMR integration with WMS)

• Conveyor and sortation systems including (cross-belt sorter, tilt-tray sorter, and shoe sorter for high-throughput order fulfillment)

• IoT inventory monitoring including (temperature sensors for cold chain, fill-level sensors for bulk storage, and asset tracking for serialized stock)

• Technology selection criteria including (throughput volume, SKU count, order profile, and ROI payback period assessment)

10. Warehouse KPIs and Performance Management

• Inbound KPIs including (goods receipt accuracy rate, dock-to-stock cycle time, and supplier on-time delivery performance)

• Storage KPIs including (inventory record accuracy rate, space utilization percentage, and SMOS percentage of total stock value)

• Outbound KPIs including (order picking accuracy rate, on-time in-full — OTIF — rate, and order cycle time from receipt to dispatch)

• Cost KPIs including (cost per order line picked, cost per pallet stored, and inventory holding cost as a percentage of stock value)

• Safety KPIs including (near-miss frequency, lost time injury rate, and equipment damage incident rate)

• KPI dashboard design and management review including (weekly operational dashboard, monthly management review, and PDCA improvement cycle triggered by KPI underperformance)

11. HSE and Environmental Management in Warehouse Operations

• Warehouse HSE risk management per ISO 45001:2018 including (racking safety, forklift and pedestrian traffic separation, manual handling, and fire prevention)

• Manual handling risk control including (ergonomic workstation design, mechanical assist for heavy picks, and manual handling training compliance)

• Hazardous goods storage and handling including (COSHH compliance, SDS access for all stored chemicals, and spill response procedure)

• Fire safety in warehouses including (storage height limits relative to sprinkler design, hot work permit for warehouse maintenance, and fire evacuation plan)

• Environmental management per ISO 14001:2015 including (packaging waste reduction, battery recycling for electric MHE, and energy efficiency in refrigerated storage)

• Quality integration in warehouse HSE including (damage reporting as both a safety and quality event — triggering NCR and HSE investigation simultaneously)

12. Case Studies and Group Discussions

• Case studies from inventory and warehouse management failures in Middle East industrial, retail, and logistics environments including (stockout-driven production shutdown from inaccurate MRO inventory records, racking collapse from overloading and accumulated unreported forklift impacts, and significant SMOS accumulation from poor ABC analysis in high-SKU spare parts warehouses) and the importance of proper inventory and warehouse management training in protecting operational continuity and asset integrity

• Group discussion on regional warehouse management challenges including (managing inventory accuracy in high-turnover multicultural warehouse teams, maintaining FIFO compliance for perishable and date-coded products in high-volume GCC distribution operations, and selecting appropriate WMS technology for mid-size warehouse operations in the UAE and KSA market)

• Integrated scenario workshop including (teams receive a presented warehouse with a high inventory discrepancy rate, a racking safety concern, and a failing OTIF rate — applying ABC analysis, RCA, ISO 9001 nonconformance management, and KPI framework to develop an integrated corrective improvement plan for facilitator and peer review)