Inventory
Inventory management software for small businesses
Know how many you have, where they are and what they are worth, without ever typing a stock number by hand.
In short
SimpleERP is inventory management software for small businesses. Stock changes only when an invoice, bill, transfer, count or work order posts, and every product is valued at one weighted average cost across the business, with stock by warehouse and a full movement ledger.
Illustration of stock on hand by warehouse at average cost, with a low-stock row highlighted and a movement ledger.
The daily job: trust the stock number
A stock figure is only useful if nobody can quietly change it. In SimpleERP the number on screen is the sum of every posted movement, so it always has a reason behind it.
- See stock on hand by warehouse with its value at average cost
- Fix a count in minutes and keep a record of why it changed
- Reorder before you run out with a low-stock list built from your levels
Movement ledger
Stock changes only when a document posts
There is no box to overwrite a quantity. Invoices, bills, credit and debit notes, counts, transfers and work orders each write a stock movement, and the on-hand figure is computed from them. Ask why Steel rack shows 40 and the movement ledger answers, with a link to each document.
- Date, type, document, warehouse, quantity, unit cost and running quantity
- Cancellations add opposite movements; nothing is deleted
- Stock cannot go negative unless you allow it in settings
- Filter movements by product, warehouse, type and date
Illustration: saving invoice INV-2026-0213 moves stock, posts the customer ledger, records tax and updates the dashboard in one step.
Valuation
Every item is valued at weighted average cost
When stock comes in, the average cost is re-blended with what you already hold. When it goes out, it leaves at the current average, which is what your cost of goods sold uses. The stock report's total value is checked against the inventory account in the ledger, and the difference shown should be zero.
| Steel rack 4 shelf | Quantity | Average cost | Stock value |
|---|---|---|---|
| On hand in both warehouses | 52 | $31.20 | $1,622.40 |
| Bill: 20 received at $33.00 | 72 | $31.70 | $2,282.40 |
| Invoice: 2 sold | 70 | $31.70 | $2,219.00 |
Warehouses
Stock by warehouse, and transfers between them
A one-location business never sees warehouses. Add a second warehouse or a shop and stock on hand splits by location, every document line picks a warehouse, and a transfer moves goods between them at the same average cost, so the books do not change.
- Group stock by product or by warehouse
- Transfers show what is available at the source as you type
- A transfer note prints with prepared-by and received-by lines
- Adding a branch offers to create its warehouse in the same step
- Archive a warehouse once it is empty; its history stays
Stock counts
Count the shelf, then let SimpleERP work out the difference
In count mode you type what you found and SimpleERP works out the difference from the system quantity. If stock moved after you saved, it recalculates and asks you to confirm before posting. Each adjustment has a reason and posts its value to the ledger. Damaged or lost stock leaves at average cost, and found stock comes back at a cost you enter.
- Reasons: opening stock, physical count, damaged, expired, lost, found
- Load every product in the warehouse with one click
- Print a count sheet with a blank counted column
Reorder
Low stock turns into purchase orders
Set a reorder level on a product and it appears on the low-stock list when it drops to that level, with the shortfall and the supplier you last bought from. Tick the rows and Create purchase order drafts one order per supplier.
- Shortfall and average cost on every row
- Order quantity starts at twice the reorder level less what is on hand, and stays editable
- Products without a reorder level never clutter the list
Illustration of the SimpleERP dashboard for Harbor Supply Co.: sales 20,938, net profit 4,691, 2,441 to collect, a sales versus purchases chart and top products.
Products
Load your whole catalogue from a CSV
Upload a CSV, match its columns, and a dry run shows every error before anything is written. Opening stock per warehouse comes in the same file. Products can also be added from an invoice or bill line in seconds.
- SKU, barcode, unit, category, prices and tax rates
- Goods or services; services never appear in stock screens
- Update prices on re-import without touching stock
- Duplicate SKUs and barcodes are refused with a clear field error
By industry
Inventory by industry
Make
Manufacturing
Castings, copper wire, bearings and finished pumps by warehouse at weighted average cost, with reorder levels and a movement ledger behind every number.
Read moreBricks and blocks
Fly ash in tonnes, cement in bags and bricks in thousands, across the raw material shed, the curing yard and the ready yard.
Read moreEngineering and fabrication
Beams, channels, plate and pipe in kg or running metres, consumables in their own store, offcuts in a scrap bay, all at average cost.
Read moreFurniture
Timber in cft, plywood in sheets, hardware in pieces and finished sets per warehouse, valued at weighted average cost.
Read moreElectrical and electronics
Contactors, relays, MCBs and enclosures in pieces, copper wire in metres and finished panels per store, at weighted average cost.
Read morePlastics and packaging
HDPE and PP granules and masterbatch in kg, regrind as its own item, and cans, containers and closures in pieces per warehouse.
Read morePrinting and labels
Paper in reams, board in kilos and ink by colour, per warehouse and at weighted average cost.
Read moreTextiles & garments
Yarn and knitted fabric in kg, trims in pieces and garments by size, per warehouse and at average cost.
Read moreLeather & footwear
Finished leather in sq ft, soles in pairs, adhesive in kg and finished pairs by size, per warehouse at average cost.
Read moreAgro processing & mills
Paddy, rice, bran and husk in kilos or bags per warehouse, at weighted average cost, with a reorder level on paddy.
Read moreStone crushers and M-sand
Boulders, every aggregate size, M-sand and store spares in tonnes, litres or pieces per yard, at weighted average cost.
Read more
Trade
Wholesale & distribution
Carton stock by warehouse, valued at average cost, moved only by posted bills, invoices, transfers and counts.
Read moreRetail
Shelf and back-room stock per branch, moved by bills, sales, transfers and counts, with a reorder level for each item.
Read moreGarment and apparel shops
Stock per size and per shop, season lots from wholesalers at weighted average cost, and transfers between branches.
Read moreBuilding materials and hardware
Cement, steel, pipes and paint by warehouse and shop, in their own units, at average cost, with a reorder level for every size.
Read moreAuto parts and workshops
Part numbers as SKUs, stock by counter, warehouse and workshop store, and a reorder level on every fast-moving spare.
Read moreAgri inputs and farm supplies
Bags, packets and litres by shop and warehouse, with reorder levels set before spring and autumn planting and stock valued at average cost.
Read more
Serve
Professional services
What a practice should track as stock (resold hardware security keys), what it should expense and what it can ignore entirely.
Read moreIT services and agencies
Track the routers and firewalls you resell and the spare parts you keep for maintenance contract visits; register laptops as assets and ignore the rest.
Read moreFreelancers and consultants
Most freelancers can skip stock. For the few who sell workshop kits, printed workbooks or merchandise, a count per shelf at average cost.
Read moreLaw firms and advocates
Most firms skip stock; those that track stationery, toner or file covers can, and the library is an asset.
Read moreConstruction and contractors
Cement, rebar and finishing material counted per site warehouse, consumption recorded at the month-end count, and shuttering kept as an asset.
Read moreInterior and fit-out
Plywood, laminate and hardware stock in the store and at each site, leftovers moved between sites and reorder levels on fast movers.
Read moreSolar installers
Panels, inverters, mounting structures and cable counted by warehouse and crew van at average cost, with transfers to each rooftop job.
Read moreRepair and service centres
Spare parts counted by back room and technician kit at average cost, with reorder levels and purchase orders to each parts dealer.
Read moreSecurity agencies
Uniforms by size, shoes, torches and metal detectors in stock by warehouse and site store.
Read moreManpower and staffing
Uniforms, ID cards, safety shoes and PPE kept by store, valued at weighted average cost and billed or written off.
Read moreEvent management
Consumables in warehouses at average cost, and owned trusses, lights and tents on the asset register.
Read moreTravel agencies
Most agencies skip stock; the ones that keep travel kits, brochures or prepaid vouchers can track them at average cost.
Read more
One system
What it connects to
Inventory is written by other modules and read by the ledger.
Invoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
See howPurchase
Purchase orders, supplier bills that receive stock, debit notes and payables.
See howManufacturing
Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
See howAccounting
A double-entry ledger with journals, bank registers, statements and a lock date.
See howReports & dashboard
A morning dashboard and a catalogue of reports, each with filters, print and CSV export.
See howPayments & receivables
Receipts and payments allocated oldest first, receivables and payables ageing, and statements.
See how
Honest limits
Not included yet
- Batch, lot, serial number or expiry date tracking
- FIFO or other costing methods: weighted average only
- Barcode label printing
- Stock ageing by receipt date
- Reserving stock against sales orders
FAQ
Questions, answered
Which costing method does SimpleERP use?
Weighted average cost, per product across the business. Each receipt re-blends the average and each issue leaves at the current average. See the weighted average cost guide for a worked example.
Can stock go negative?
Not by default. The database refuses a sale, transfer or work order that would take a warehouse below zero and names the product and warehouse. You can allow negative stock in settings; the next receipt then restarts the average.
Can I track batches or expiry dates?
Not yet. SimpleERP tracks quantity and value by product and warehouse. If you need batch or expiry tracking for medicines or food, it is not a fit today.
Can I import my products from Excel or another system?
Yes, through a spreadsheet or CSV export. Map the columns, review the dry run and import, with opening stock per warehouse. See moving to SimpleERP.
Do I have to set up warehouses?
No. Every business starts with one default warehouse and never sees the warehouse field until it adds a second one.
Related
Keep reading
Purchase
Purchase orders, supplier bills that receive stock, debit notes and payables.
Read moreManufacturing
Bills of materials with scrap and cost roll-up, and work orders from plan to complete.
Read moreInvoicing & tax
Tax invoices with VAT, GST or sales tax on every line, numbered by fiscal year and posted in one step.
Read moreWholesale & distribution
Keyboard-first billing, stock across warehouses at average cost, party ledgers and receivables ageing.
Read more
Run your whole business from one simple place.
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