Voodoo RoboticsWarehouseWorkflow Lab
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Problem-solving guide

Forward locations keep stocking out

Find out why pick shelves run empty even when reserve stock exists, then set a refill trigger workers can meet.

What to look for · What to measure · What to try this weekNot sure about a term? Open the plain-English glossary
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A simple example

A shelf holds 48 units, demand during the two-hour refill time can reach 35, and refills arrive in cases of 12. A trigger near 36 gives the refill team enough time.

01 · Check the complaint

Signs to confirm on the floor

  • Pickers short items that exist in reserve
  • Urgent refills interrupt active work
  • Top movers receive multiple small refills
  • Faces look full but usable capacity is low
02 · Possible causes

Check more than one possible cause

The first explanation may sound right and still be wrong. Use the measurements in the next section to separate these possibilities.

1

Min based on average instead of lead-time demand

2

Face capacity/case pack mismatch

3

Trigger or task system delay

4

Reserve inventory is inaccessible or wrong

5

Demand spikes known to waves are ignored

03 · What to measure

Numbers that can change the decision

Demand mean and variability by refill lead-time bucketFor each item, measure average and high demand during the full time it takes to notice, release, travel, and complete a refill.
Usable units per faceCount units that safely fit and can actually be picked; ignore space blocked by packaging or access limits.
Refills per product/dayCount completed refill trips for each item during a normal day.
Urgent versus planned refill shareSeparate emergency refills that stop picking from refills completed before stock ran out.
Reserve-found and trigger-to-complete timeTrack whether reserve stock was found and minutes from the low-stock trigger to finished refill.
04 · Possible fixes

Choose a fix only after the facts point to it

1

Recalculate face and reorder point

Use this when: Capacity or protection is guessed

2

Top-off before protected peak

Use this when: Demand timing is known

3

Demand-linked refill

Use this when: Allocated wave demand predicts the shortage

05 · This week

A practical seven-day starting plan

  1. 01

    Select ten products that repeatedly stock out

  2. 02

    Measure usable face capacity and actual refill lead time

  3. 03

    Reconstruct demand during that lead time

  4. 04

    Recalculate and round to valid case packs

  5. 05

    Test new settings while tracking refill labor

Turn what you measured into a small test

The diagnostic compares practical options and shows which limits could change the answer.

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