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UNFI Insights Distribution Center Inventory dashboard overview

Updated

The Distribution Center Inventory dashboard helps you optimize inventory at the DC level, so you can meet customer demand and maximize sales. You can see how inventory stacks up by product, store, and region and determine if inventory levels are above or below average.  This dashboard is divided into three sections:

  • Overview: See a snapshot of inventory levels in DCs by quantities, units, and dollars on hand. 
  • Drivers: Understand the factors that contribute to your inventory levels.
  • Details: Dig in to granular information that helps you take action when inventory is high or low.

Overview

The Overview section allows you to get a sense of your inventory status. Use the following map of the screen to guide you.

Screen Shot 2022-01-04 at 2.16.26 PM.png Quantity on Hand over Time

This line graph displays your inventory quantity on hand over time, helping you recognize cyclical and seasonal patterns. It is filtered to show only current inventory products.

Screen Shot 2022-01-04 at 2.17.17 PM.png Overview tiles

  • Latest Report Date: Lists the most recent dates that inventory data was received. 
  • Total Quantity on Hand: The total on hand units for the selected filters.
  • Total Dollars on Hand: The total dollar value of your on hand units for the selected filters.

    Note: For UNFI, the dollar value is calculated using the average retailer purchase price, which is how much the retailer actually paid the vendor and is a negotiated value that can be below the listed wholesale price. This may differ from other retailers.

Screen Shot 2022-01-04 at 2.18.19 PM.png Inventory by Product

This table displays each product's inventory information and DCs with inventory on the latest report date.

Drivers

Screen Shot 2022-01-04 at 2.16.26 PM.png Inventory by State

This heat map allows you to get a pulse on whether inventory is high or low at distribution centers by state, so you can take steps to normalize your inventory levels. This metric is calculated by taking the on hand inventory and dividing it by the average number of units selling in a week. For example, if you have 100 units on hand and sell 50 units in a typical week, you have 2 weeks of supply. The average number of units selling per week is calculated using the time frame you specify in the Lookback period drop-down menu at the top of the dashboard. 

Note: Days where are there are no sales will be excluded from the the calculation. For example, if you select a two week lookback period, but there is only data for the second week, we will only use 1 week for the calculation.

Screen Shot 2022-01-04 at 2.17.17 PM.png Inventory by Distribution Center

Each product's inventory information by distribution center for the selected time period. 

 

Inventory Details

The Inventory Details table at the bottom of the dashboard provides more granular product and DC information. You can click on an individual cell in the table to filter by an individual DC.

Weekly Forecast details

The Weekly Forecast column on this dashboard provides a proprietary estimate of expected base demand for the upcoming week, excluding any anticipated lift from promotions.
Note: While this forecast can help you anticipate demand, it is not a commitment and may change until purchase orders (POs) are finalized.

When you create a demand plan using the weekly forecast, you should account for both the lead time and the UNFI order cycle. For example: If UNFI orders every 7 days and has a lead time of 14 days, you should plan for 21 days of demand. In this example, to calculate 21 days of demand, you should multiply the weekly forecast by three. For long-term planning, UNFI advises using historical ordering data to build your own forecasts.