A retailer places an order for 70 cartons of curd.
The stock report says 220 cartons are available.
The obvious answer seems to be: we have enough.
But can sales actually promise all 70 cartons?
Not yet.
Some of that stock may already be reserved. Some may be on hold. Some may not meet the retailer’s freshness requirement. And some may be sitting at another location with no certainty that it can reach the customer in time.
That is the difference between stock on hand and stock you can actually commit.
To make a reliable promise, the team needs to answer three questions:
- What stock is genuinely free to use?
- Does that stock meet this customer’s requirements?
- Can it reach the customer by the promised date?
Let’s work through one order.
The customer order
The retailer is replenishing its curd stock and needs 70 cartons, all delivered in the agreed delivery slot on 10 September 2026, with at least four days of shelf life remaining on arrival. Each carton contains 12 x 400 g tubs, and the retailer is comfortable receiving cartons from more than one batch.
The stock report shows 220 cartons across Hyderabad distribution centre (DC), which serves the retailer, and a regional DC. Before sales can count them towards the order, the team checks what is already reserved or on hold.
1. Is any stock already reserved or on hold?
Cartons reserved for other orders or on hold cannot count towards this order. All quantities below are cartons.
| Batch | Location | Stock | Reserved | On hold | Stock left to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Hyderabad DC | 100 | 20 | 20 | 60 |
| B | Hyderabad DC | 80 | 20 | 10 | 50 |
| C | Regional DC | 40 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Total | 220 | 40 | 30 | 150 |
That leaves 150 cartons to check, still more than the retailer needs. The next question is whether they meet this customer’s requirements.
2. Does the remaining stock meet this customer’s requirements?
The quality team has approved the remaining stock for dispatch, and storage records show it has been kept at the required temperature. The next check is whether every carton has at least four days of shelf life remaining on delivery, planned for 10 September.
| Batch | Mfg. date | Use-by date | Shelf life left on delivery | Meets freshness requirement? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3 Sep | 12 Sep | 2 days | No |
| B | 5 Sep | 14 Sep | 4 days | Yes |
| C | 6 Sep | 15 Sep | 5 days | Yes |
Batch A’s 60 cartons cannot support this order because they fall short of the retailer’s freshness requirement. That leaves 90 cartons across batches B and C that pass the freshness check. There is enough quantity, but delivery still needs to be confirmed.
3. Can the stock reach the customer in time?
Of the 90 cartons that meet the freshness requirement, 50 from Batch B are already at Hyderabad DC. Distribution has confirmed that they can reach the retailer by the promised date, so those cartons are confirmed supply.
Batch C’s 40 cartons are at the regional DC and meet the freshness requirement. Distribution needs the transfer ETA, or expected arrival time at Hyderabad. The cartons must arrive early enough to be received, picked and loaded before the dispatch cutoff, when the truck must leave to meet the retailer’s delivery slot. That timing has not been confirmed, so they remain Pending.
Sales can confirm 50 cartons against the order. Another 20 are still needed to complete it. The regional stock could cover that gap if distribution confirms it can arrive in time. If sales promises all 70 before that check is complete, the retailer could receive a short delivery or face a delay.
Three statuses make the decision easier
When evaluating stock against an order, use three states:
- Confirmed: the stock has passed the required checks and can support the order.
- Not eligible: the stock cannot support this order because a requirement is not met.
- Pending: the stock may still support the order, but a check remains unresolved.
Passing the freshness check does not confirm delivery. Pending stock remains potential supply until the missing answer is confirmed.
Bring the answers together
Warehouse knows what stock is present, where it is stored and what is reserved. The quality team knows what is approved for dispatch and whether storage checks passed. Sales knows the customer’s order and conditions. Distribution knows what can reach the customer in time.
Each team can have accurate information, yet sales can still make the wrong promise if it treats one team’s answer as the complete answer for the order. The stock, quality, customer and delivery checks need to come together against the same order.
A simple checklist for each open order can help:
| Decision area | What the team needs to know |
|---|---|
| Order | Product, quantity, destination, delivery date and retailer’s terms |
| Stock | Quantity remaining after reservations and holds |
| Eligibility | Quality release, storage checks and shelf life on delivery |
| Delivery | Whether the stock can reach the customer by the deadline |
| Decision | Confirmed, Not eligible or Pending, with quantities and reasons |
| Follow-up | Who owns each unresolved answer and what needs to be confirmed |
These checks do not replace quality approval or make stock on hold available.
Keep the decision connected to the order
A WhatsApp message saying “50 confirmed” may be correct when it is sent. If stock, quality status or delivery plans change, the team needs to check the commitment again.
Keep the confirmed quantity connected to the actual order and allocation in the operating system, together with the source records, timestamp, unresolved checks and follow-up owner. Anyone checking the order should be able to see where the answer came from and what still needs to happen.
If the remaining 20-carton gap cannot be covered, the team can look for another approved source or agree on a revised commitment with the retailer. Reserved stock should only be reassigned through the appropriate approval process.
The real inventory question
Our earlier article, The Inventory Number Nobody Quite Believes, looked at why different teams can see different inventory numbers.
The question is not simply what stock exists. It is what can be promised to this customer, by this date, and what still needs confirming.
For this order, the answer is 50 cartons confirmed and 20 still needed. Distribution needs to confirm whether the transfer ETA leaves enough time for dispatch. Sales needs that answer before confirming the remaining 20 cartons.
If getting from “220 in stock” to “50 confirmed” means chasing warehouse, quality and distribution updates across Excel and WhatsApp, talk to Hopnet about bringing those answers together before sales makes the promise.
References
ERPNext supports stock reservation when enabled. Its Pick List guidance also notes that availability can change before later stock transactions.
For label context, the FSSAI September 2025 compendium, sections 5(9) to 5(10) covers batch identification, date marking and relevant storage instructions.
Note: The order, quantities, dates and four-day freshness requirement are illustrative. They are not a Hopnet customer case or an FSSAI standard. The artwork is also illustrative.
Scaling a food, dairy, or frozen distribution business and want a clearer view across your warehouse, fleet, and sell-through data? Connect with Hopnet for a free strategy session and a roadmap tailored to how your supply chain actually runs today.
