How to plan production using Net requirements
Table of Contents
Net requirements are exclusive to Commerce users.
To upgrade, contact our Customer Success Team at hello@cropster.com.
Overview
Net requirements calculate the coffee needed to fulfill your total demand. This article explains how the system uses inventory-aware logic to help you optimize production schedules, ensuring you roast only what is needed to meet customer orders and stock targets (Minimum stock levels).
How Net requirements work
The system balances three variables to provide an accurate production goal:
- Total demand: The sum of all customer orders plus your Minimum stock levels.
- Downstream needs: The requirements for components, e.g., roasted coffee, needed to fulfill a scheduled blend.
- Current supply: On-hand inventory plus any production already on your schedule.
This creates a “waterfall” effect across the roastery:
- Packaging: Setting a Packaging plan creates a requirement for the coffee inside the bags.
- Blending: If bags contain a blend, the system calculates the “gap” in your bins and tells you exactly how much more mix (Blending requirement) is needed for the Packaging plan.
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Roasting: The system consolidates requirements to show the volume needed to roast.
⚠️ Accurate data is essential. Old or inaccurate inventory values directly impact the Net requirement calculation.
Learn how to optimize your data for the Net requirements calculation.
Watch: Production planning from the Roasted inventory pages
This video tutorial shows you how to plan your production from the Roasted inventory pages.
Production planning from the Roasted inventory pages
Net requirements are calculated using the Minimum stock levels on the three primary inventory pages.
You'll now find a dedicated Net requirement column across the main overview pages for all three inventory categories.
For better production oversight, Net requirements and Minimum stock levels are now integrated into the Order Fulfillment as well.
Packaged Inventory
The Minimum stock level is defined per Variant on the Product details page.
⚠️ Generating Packaging plans based on the Net requirements ensures that both order demand and Minimum stock levels are met. Please note that finalizing these Packaging plans will automatically trigger roasting and blending demand across associated inventory categories.
- Log in to the online platform C-sar.
- Navigate to Roasted Inventory > Packaged Inventory.
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Click + Add packaging plan.
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On the Add Packaging plan page, the To be packaged fields are pre-filled based on the Net requirements. Review and confirm the suggested values and click Create packaging plans to proceed.
The Packaged Inventory Net requirement formula
(Ordered+Minimum stock level) - (On hand+Scheduled packaging) = Net requirement
- What you need: Your current orders (Ordered) plus extra stock you want to keep on the shelf (Minimum stock level).
- What you have: Your already packaged inventory (On-hand) plus the already scheduled inventory to be packed today (Scheduled packaging).
The Net requirement is the system-calculated amount that needs to be scheduled for packing to fulfill all demand and the Minimum stock level.
Loose Inventory
The Minimum stock level is defined per Profile group on the Edit profile group page.
To keep inventory optimal, generate roasting schedules that match Net requirements so we have enough for packaging, blending, and the Minimum stock level target.
💡 Tips and Recommendations:
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For more accurate scheduling, ensure each Profile includes the following information:
- Associated green lots
- Ideal batch size
- Expected weight loss
- Restrict profile to these machines
- Associate all the Profiles used to make the same product.
- Log in to the online platform C-sar.
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Navigate to Roasted Inventory > Loose Inventory.
The Loose Inventory Net requirement formula
(Scheduled packaging + Minimum stock level +Blend requirements) - (On-hand + Scheduled roasting) = Net requirement
- What you need: The coffee required for your upcoming packaging (Scheduled packaging) plus the amount you want to keep in your bins as a baseline (Minimum stock level) plus Blend requirements for post-roast blends.
- What hat you have: This includes the loose coffee already in your bins (On-hand) plus the coffee you have already scheduled to roast (Scheduled roasting).
The Net requirement is the system-calculated amount that shows how much you need to schedule to roast.
Post-roast blend Inventory
The Minimum stock level is defined per blend profile on the Edit blend profile page.
To maintain a balanced Post-roast blend inventory, blends should be created based on the calculated Net requirement.
- Log in to the online platform C-sar.
- Navigate to Roasted Inventory > Post-roast blend inventory.
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Click +Add blend.
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The Add blend page automatically suggests the amount needed to cover your open orders and Minimum stock level targets. Review and confirm the suggested values and click Create blend to proceed.
The Post-roast blend Inventory Net requirement formula
(Scheduled packaging + Minimum stock level) - On-hand = Net Requirement
- What you need: The total coffee needed for your upcoming orders (Scheduled packaging) plus the target amount you want to maintain in your bins (Minimum stock level).
- What you have: This is the blended coffee (On-hand).
The Net requirement is the system-calculated amount showing how much you need to blend.
If you have further questions, feedback, or concerns, please submit a support ticket directly from support.cropster.com.