Supplier Lead Time Tracker & Safety Stock Calculator
A done-for-you e-commerce and retail automation built for the Inventory Manager, connecting Slack, Airtable, and Google Sheets so the work below happens on its own.
What this automation does, step by step
As purchase orders are placed and received, this automation tracks the actual lead time for each supplier and SKU, not the lead time the supplier promised, but the lead time they delivered.
Over a rolling 90-day window, it calculates average and worst-case lead times per supplier and adjusts the recommended safety stock level accordingly.
When a supplier's reliability score drops below a set threshold, the inventory manager receives an alert to either adjust reorder points or begin qualifying an alternative supplier, before a reliability issue causes a stockout that was entirely predictable in hindsight.
- Inventory management platform (e.g., Cin7, Skubana, or Linnworks)
- Zapier or Make.com
- Google Sheets (lead time and safety stock model)
- Email or Slack (supplier reliability alerts)
- Airtable (supplier scorecards)
Using different software? We build around what you already have, so you never have to switch tools to automate.
The manual way vs. the automated way
Without automation
Left unautomated, an inventory manager spends hours on the parts of this job that don't require judgment: copying data, sending reminders, and tracking status by hand.
With this automation
- Low-stock and reorder alerts before you run out
- Vendor and subcontractor confirmations that chase themselves
- Preventive maintenance scheduled by usage or date
- Work orders and project milestones that update stakeholders
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