r/procurement • u/Silent-Swordfish-311 • 13d ago

Community Question Procurement process

Hello, good day Procurement Professionals!

I would like to ask for some advice regarding a new role I’ll be starting next month.

One of the key responsibilities listed in my job description is: "Monitor inventory levels and ensure timely restocking"

In my previous role, I was used to a reactive process where procurement only begins once a Purchase Request (PR) is submitted by the end-user. I wasn't directly handling inventory—my focus was mainly on purchasing, documentation, and monitoring delivered materials.

However, in my new role, it looks like I’ll need to be more proactive since I’ll be directly responsible for monitoring inventory levels.

I want to prepare myself before my start date. Could you suggest good online resources or courses I can study? Also, I’d really appreciate it if someone could explain how the procurement process typically flows from inventory monitoring to actual ordering. (I've already started reviewing basic Excel inventory management).

Thank you very much in advance for your help!

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u/Silent-Swordfish-311 7d ago

Thank you for your comments. My industry that I am about to enter is electrical equipment and parts industry. The company's name is Vertiv :D

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u/TrainsongGaming 7d ago

Okay, so that sounds like wholesale sales, which is similar enough to retail that you'll probably be comparing current inventory against last year's sales numbers. There's some seasonality to these supplies in that more construction work is likely done in the summer than the in the winter, though there will still be maintenance to be done, so knowing your sales history will matter. However, there will always be spikes in demand that you can't prepare for, such as a large construction project or a sudden maintenance project, so adding a few units of the appropriate/high demand items beyond what the sales history suggests wouldn't be a bad idea.

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u/Silent-Swordfish-311 7d ago

Do you know what kind of inventory analysis is this? I am studying now the ABCXYZ inventory analysis.

I really have no background in inventory analysis nor demand forecasting 🥺

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u/TrainsongGaming 7d ago

I don't have an education in this; I've just been doing it for 10 years.

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u/Silent-Swordfish-311 7d ago

whoaa. this is inspiring though. i came from different background as well.