For the Supply Chain Manager
Buy against what the shop will consume, not what a spreadsheet remembers.
Purchasing and inventory fail separately when they run separately: reorder points drift from real consumption, supplier lead times live in someone's memory, and the shortage announces itself at the machine. Cortrova runs purchasing and inventory on one data model, predicts shortages against scheduled work, and tracks supplier performance from live receipts - with unlimited users, so the receiving dock works in the system too.
The challenge
- !Reorder points were set years ago and never updated, so the shop carries too much of what it doesn't use and stocks out of what it does
- !Supplier lead times live in a buyer's head or a stale master record, so POs get cut on quoted lead times the supplier stopped hitting last year
- !The shortage is discovered at the machine - the job is set up, the operator is waiting, and expedite fees become the real procurement strategy
- !Supplier reviews argue from anecdotes because on-time and quality performance was never captured where the receipts happened
How Cortrova answers
- ✓Purchasing and inventory run on one data model, so a PO, its receipt, the inspection result, and the stock it becomes are one thread - not four systems to reconcile
- ✓Supplier lead times are tracked from actual receipt history, so replenishment plans against the lead time a supplier really delivers, not the one they quoted
- ✓Reorder policies tie to real consumption from the floor, so min/max and reorder points follow how usage actually moves instead of decaying into shelf-stock
- ✓Shortage prediction reads scheduled work against on-hand, allocated, and inbound material, flagging the gap while there's still lead time to fix it - not when the operator is standing at an empty bin
- ✓Receiving inspection links to the PO and the quality record, so a failed receipt becomes a supplier quality event automatically - and supplier performance builds from live delivery and quality data instead of memory
One thread, PO to bin
A day where the shortage never reaches the floor.
Supply chain problems compound in the gaps between purchasing, receiving, quality, and the floor. When those run on one model, the day changes shape: less firefighting at the machine, more decisions made with lead time still on the clock.
Morning: the shortage list looks forward
Predicted shortages are ranked against scheduled work - which jobs are exposed, when, and whether inbound POs cover them - so the buyer's first hour goes to the gaps that will actually stop a job.
Cutting the PO
The PO carries the supplier's tracked lead time, not the quoted one, and it's tied to the demand that drove it - so when a work order moves, the exposed purchase orders flag themselves.
At receiving
The dock receives against the PO in the system, receiving inspection runs where required, and a failed inspection opens the quality thread on that supplier automatically instead of dying in an email.
The supplier review
On-time delivery and receipt quality per supplier accumulate from live transactions, so quarterly reviews and requalification decisions run on evidence the supplier can't argue with.
How it works
Adopting For the Supply Chain Manager.
Discovery maps items and suppliers
Implementation begins with your item master, supplier list, current reorder logic, and receiving flow, so the configured system reflects how material actually moves through your shop.
Migration carries the supply picture
Items, on-hand balances, open POs, and supplier records move into one data model, so day one starts with your real inventory position and your real inbound pipeline.
Policies calibrated to real consumption
During configuration, reorder policies are set against actual usage and supplier lead-time tracking starts accumulating from your receipt activity, so replenishment sharpens from the first weeks.
Everyone on the dock goes live
Because users are unlimited, buyers, receivers, inspectors, and stockroom staff all work in the system from a validated go-live - which most manufacturers reach in a typical 4-8 weeks - so the data stays live because the people are.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
How does Cortrova predict a shortage before it stops a job?
Shortage prediction reads scheduled work against on-hand stock, existing allocations, and inbound purchase orders. When the material a scheduled job needs won't be there in time, the gap is flagged while there's still supplier lead time to act - expedite, substitute, or resequence - instead of surfacing when the operator opens an empty bin.
Where do supplier lead times come from?
From your receipts. Cortrova tracks the lead time each supplier actually delivers against, based on live PO and receiving history, so replenishment plans against demonstrated performance rather than the quoted lead time in a master record. When a supplier's deliveries drift, the tracked lead time moves with them and your planning follows.
How is receiving inspection connected to purchasing and quality?
Directly - they're the same data model. A receipt lands against its PO, inspection runs where the item requires it, and a failed inspection creates a supplier quality event tied to that PO and that lot. Nothing gets re-keyed between a receiving log, a quality system, and a purchasing file, and the supplier's quality record builds itself.
Can I actually measure supplier performance with this?
Yes, qualitatively where it counts: on-time delivery against promised dates and receipt quality accumulate per supplier from live transactions. Reviews, requalification, and sourcing decisions run on the record the system built as the work happened, so the conversation with a slipping supplier starts from their own delivery history.
Get started
See Cortrova through the supply chain manager's screen.
We'll tailor a demo to your role, your KPIs, and your operation.