Inventory & Procurement

Track your raw materials, manage suppliers, and maintain complete supply chain transparency.

Overview

Aether’s inventory system helps you:

• Monitor stock levels in real-time
• Track supplier relationships and orders
• Automate inventory updates from purchases and product creation
• Receive alerts when stock is running low
• Maintain GMP-compliant batch records

Stock Items

Every raw material and finished good in your inventory is tracked as a Stock Item.

Stock Item Types

Key Attributes

Inventory Tracking

Stock Level Monitoring

Aether automatically updates stock levels when:

• Supplier orders are received → Increments stock
• Products are created → Decrements component stock
• Manual adjustments are made → Updates by specified amount
• Inventory is transferred → Moves stock between locations

Low Stock Alerts

Configurable alerting system with multiple tiers:

Alert Configuration

Each Stock Item can have:

• Individual thresholds - Different alert levels for each item
• Inherited thresholds - Use Workspace-wide defaults
• Custom recipients - Specific people to notify
• Escalation - Escalate to additional people if not addressed

Supplier Management

Track all your vendors in one place.

Supplier Database

Each Supplier record includes:

Supplier Items

Each Supplier can have a catalog of items they provide:

Order Management

Track purchases from suppliers:

• Order Creation - Create purchase orders directly in Aether
• Line Items - Multiple items per order
• Status Tracking - Draft, Submitted, Confirmed, Shipped, Received, Cancelled
• Receipt - Record when items are received
• Cost Tracking - Actual vs. expected costs
• History - Complete order history with each supplier

OCR Scanning

Optical Character Recognition for receipts and labels.

Receipt Scanning

Upload receipts or invoices to automatically:

1. Extract Text - Read all text from the document
2. Identify Items - Match items to your Stock Items or Ingredients
3. Extract Quantities - Determine how much of each item was purchased
4. Extract Prices - Identify the cost for each item
5. Create Suggestions - Suggest new Stock Items for unmatched items
6. Update Inventory - Automatically increment stock levels

Label Scanning

Scan product labels to:

• Identify Ingredients - Extract ingredient information
• Capture Safety Data - Identify warnings and precautions
• Create New Items - Auto-create Stock Items from label data
• Verify Shipments - Match received items against purchase orders

OCR Features

Scanning Workflow

1. Upload Image
   - Take photo with mobile device
   - Upload existing image file
   - Drag and drop into scanner

2. OCR Processing
   - Text extraction (usually < 5 seconds)
   - Item matching
   - Data extraction

3. Review & Confirm
   - Verify extracted data
   - Correct any mismatches
   - Add missing information

4. Apply to Inventory
   - Update stock levels
   - Create new items if needed
   - Link to suppliers

Supported Formats

• Image Files: JPEG, PNG, WEBP, PDF (image-based)
• Resolution: Minimum 300 DPI recommended
• Languages: English (primary), with additional languages for Enterprise
• Document Types: Receipts, invoices, packing slips, labels

Batch Tracking

Complete traceability from raw material to finished product.

What is a Batch?

A Batch represents a specific quantity of a material produced or received at one time:

• Raw Material Batch - A specific shipment from a supplier
• Component Batch - A specific mixture or blend
• Finished Good Batch - A specific production run of a product

Batch Records

Each Batch includes:

Batch Traceability

Aether maintains complete chain of custody:

Raw Material Batch (Lavender Oil, Lot #LAV-2026-001)
  ├── Used in Mixture Batch (Summer Fragrance, Lot #SUM-2026-005)
  │   └── Used in Product Batch (Body Spray, Lot #BS-2026-100)
  │       ├── Sold to Customer A (Order #1001)
  │       └── Sold to Customer B (Order #1002)
  └── Used in Product Batch (Perfume, Lot #PERF-2026-200)
      └── Sold to Customer C (Order #1003)

Distribution Tracking

Track where each batch was distributed:

• Internal Transfers - Movement between locations
• Sales - Which customers received items from each batch
• Returns - Items returned from customers
• Waste/Disposal - Items that were discarded

GMP Compliance

Good Manufacturing Practices require complete documentation.

GMP Features in Aether

Audit Support

Aether provides everything you need for GMP audits:

• Complete Documentation - All records in one place
• Search & Filter - Find specific records quickly
• Export Capabilities - Download records in various formats
• Audit Trail - Who accessed what and when
• Approval Workflows - Digital signatures and approvals

Inventory Reports

Pre-built reports for inventory management.

Stock Status Report

• Current stock levels for all items
• Low stock items highlighted
• Days of inventory remaining (based on usage rate)
• Reorder recommendations

Inventory Turnover

• How quickly items move through inventory
• Identify slow-moving items
• Calculate inventory carrying costs

Usage Analysis

• Track usage by item, category, or time period
• Identify trends and seasonality
• Forecast future demand

Supplier Performance

• Lead time accuracy
• Quality metrics (defect rates, returns)
• Cost variance analysis
• On-time delivery performance

Cost of Goods Sold Integration

Inventory data feeds into Cost of Goods Sold calculations:

• Automatic Updates - Cost of Goods Sold recalculates when inventory costs change
• Missing Data Alerts - Identify items without cost information
• Historical Tracking - Track Cost of Goods Sold over time
• Variance Analysis - Compare actual vs. expected costs

Next Steps

• Learn about Ecommerce Integration for sales tracking
• Review Compliance Features for regulatory requirements
• Understand Product Development for formulation