The Cash Sitting on Your Shelves: An Inventory Planning and Stock Optimization Training Course
1Summary
Walk the aisles of two competing retailers and you likely can't tell which one is planning inventory well just by looking at the shelves — both look reasonably stocked. Look at their balance sheets instead, and the difference shows up immediately: one has cash tied up in slow-moving stock it will eventually discount to clear, the other doesn't. That gap rarely comes down to better luck with demand; it comes down to method. The Cash Sitting on Your Shelves: Inventory Planning and Stock Optimization Training Course, delivered by Arab British Fellowship Training Academy, is built for professionals who want that method, not another round of guesswork dressed up as a reorder policy.
Participants start by classifying what actually deserves tight attention through ABC analysis, then apply EOQ calculations to size orders correctly and combine stock control with replenishment strategies matched to real demand patterns rather than a single generic rule applied everywhere. From there, the course covers forecasting techniques that reduce planning error over time and how to read inventory turnover as an early diagnostic signal rather than a lagging report nobody checks until year-end. The course closes by turning all of that analysis into an inventory policy the organisation will actually keep following. Participants leave with a practical, method-driven framework for planning inventory that protects both cash flow and service levels.
2Objectives and target group
Who Should Attend?
- Inventory planners and stock control managers
- Supply chain and operations professionals responsible for inventory decisions
- Warehouse managers involved in stock level and replenishment decisions
- Demand planning and forecasting professionals
- Retail and distribution professionals managing inventory investment
What You'll Gain
- Use ABC analysis to prioritize control effort across item categories
- Apply EOQ calculations to size orders correctly
- Match stock control and replenishment strategies to real demand patterns
- Apply forecasting techniques that reduce planning error over time
- Read inventory turnover as an early signal of planning strengths and weaknesses
- Build inventory policies that balance service levels against carrying cost
3Course Content
Module 1: The Real Cost of Getting Inventory Wrong
- How tied-up cash and lost sales both trace back to the same planning gap
- Distinguishing disciplined planning from reactive, habit-driven ordering
Module 2: Classifying What Matters Most: ABC Analysis
- Applying ABC analysis to prioritize control across item categories
- Allocating planning effort based on item value and impact
Module 3: Ordering the Right Amount: EOQ in Practice
- Applying EOQ calculations to determine optimal order quantities
- Balancing ordering costs against holding costs in real decisions
Module 4: Stock Control and Replenishment Matched to Demand
- Implementing stock control practices that prevent stockouts and overstock
- Applying replenishment strategies suited to fast-moving versus slow-moving items
Module 5: Forecasting Techniques That Reduce Planning Error
- Using historical and market data to improve forecast reliability
- Applying forecasting methods appropriate to different item categories
Module 6: Inventory Turnover as an Early Warning System
- Reading turnover data as a diagnostic signal, not a lagging report
- Identifying slow-moving and obsolete inventory before it becomes a liability
Module 7: Turning Analysis Into Inventory Policy That Sticks
- Building inventory policies that balance service levels and cost
- Reviewing and adjusting policy as demand patterns and costs evolve