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What this page is for

This page sets safety stock - the buffer you keep on hand to absorb swings in demand and supply so you don’t run out. Safety stock is stored per warehouse-product: expand a product row to see each warehouse where it is stocked, and set the buffer for each one. Getting safety stock right is a balancing act. More buffer means fewer stockouts but more cash tied up in inventory; less buffer frees up cash but raises the risk of running dry. This page is where you strike that balance product by product.

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What you can set

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Method

XYZ describes demand stability: X = stable, steady demand; Y = fluctuating demand; Z = very fluctuating, hard-to-predict demand.

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Status

You can bulk-configure a method across several selected products at once.

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Service levels

A separate Service levels screen holds a 3×3 matrix. The rows are the A / B / C classes (value and importance) and the columns are X / Y / Z (demand stability). Each cell is an editable % service level: a higher percentage means you cover more of the demand swings, which produces more safety stock. This matrix only applies to products whose method is ABC/XYZ - products on Safety days ignore it.

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How it affects planning

Safety stock is the floor Spherecast defends. Reorders are timed and sized to keep stock from dropping below the buffer, so raising a service level or adding safety days pulls orders forward and increases the quantities held. It also colors coverage signals like DOS - a product dipping below safety stock shows up as at-risk.

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Step by step: switch a product to statistical safety stock

  1. Find the product and expand it to see its warehouses.
  2. Set the Method to ABC/XYZ (bulk-apply it if several products should change).
  3. Open the Service levels screen and set the % service level for the relevant A/B/C × X/Y/Z cells.
  4. Review the recalculated Safety stock quantity and the Status for each warehouse.

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Example

A class-A product with steady demand sits in the A × X cell at a 98% service level. Because demand is stable, the statistical buffer stays lean. A class-A product with erratic demand lands in A × Z at 98% and gets a much larger buffer - the same protection costs more inventory when demand is unpredictable.
Note: Safety stock is a per-warehouse setting. Pair it with General (lead times and order cycle) and Sourcing (supplier lead times), and watch the result on DOS.