Multi-Location Inventory

Manage inventory across multiple warehouses, shops, and stores with intelligent location assignment and centralized visibility.

Overview

TimberCloud's multi-location system enables you to:

• Track separate stock levels for each location
• Automatically assign orders to the best location
• View combined or location-specific inventory
• Transfer stock between locations
• Receive purchases at specific locations

Location Setup

Adding Locations

1. Go to Settings → Company → Locations
2. Click Add Location
3. Fill in location details:

4. Click Save

Primary Location

One location should be marked as Primary:

• Used when "Primary Default" strategy is selected
• Fallback when no other location qualifies
• Only one location can be primary at a time

Active vs. Inactive

• Active locations participate in:
  • Location assignment for orders
  • Inventory views
  • Purchasing operations
• Inactive locations are excluded from operations but retain data

Location Types

TimberCloud supports various location types for different operational needs:

Warehouses

Main storage and distribution facilities:

• Bulk inventory storage
• Receiving from vendors
• Order fulfillment and shipping
• Production/fabrication

Retail Stores

Customer-facing locations:

• Point of sale
• Customer pickup
• Limited inventory display
• Direct sales

Shops / Fabrication

Production facilities:

• Manufacturing operations
• Work-in-progress inventory
• Material consumption
• Finished goods output

Location Assignment Strategies

When an order is created, TimberCloud automatically assigns a fulfillment location based on your configured strategy.

Primary Default

All orders are assigned to your primary location.

Best for:

• Single-location operations
• Centralized fulfillment
• Simple operations

Configuration:

1. Go to Settings → Company
2. Set Location Strategy to "Primary Default"

Proximity-Based

Orders are assigned to the nearest location within service range based on the customer's shipping address.

Best for:

• Multiple warehouses serving different regions
• Minimizing shipping costs and transit times
• Regional distribution networks

Requirements:

• Complete addresses on all locations
• Service radius set for each location

Configuration:

1. Go to Settings → Company
2. Set Location Strategy to "Proximity"
3. Ensure locations have full addresses
4. Set appropriate service radius for each location

Inventory Available

Orders are assigned to the location with the best availability of the ordered products.

Best for:

• Ensuring orders can be fulfilled
• Reducing backorders and split shipments
• Balancing inventory across locations

Configuration:

1. Go to Settings → Company
2. Set Location Strategy to "Inventory Available"

Viewing Multi-Location Inventory

All Locations View

1. Go to Shop → Inventory
2. Select All Locations from the dropdown
3. See combined inventory across all locations:
   • Total stock levels (sum of all locations)
   • Low stock indicators (any location below threshold)
   • Aggregated metrics

Single Location View

1. Go to Shop → Inventory
2. Select a specific location
3. See inventory for that location only:
   • Stock levels at that location
   • Location-specific low stock indicators
   • Local metrics

Location Selector

The location selector shows:

• All active locations
• Current location details (address, hours)
• Quick switch between locations

Location-Specific Operations

Receiving at a Location

When receiving inventory:

1. Create a Receipt from a Purchase Order
2. Select the Location where goods are arriving
3. Post the receipt
4. Inventory is added to that specific location

Orders from a Location

Orders are fulfilled from their assigned location:

1. Order is assigned to a location (automatically or manually)
2. Inventory is deducted from that location
3. Shipping originates from that location's address

Adjustments at a Location

Manual inventory adjustments apply to a specific location:

1. Select the location in the inventory view
2. Find the product option to adjust
3. Update the stock level
4. Change applies only to that location

Inventory Transfers

Move stock between locations when needed.

Transfer Process

1. Identify the transfer:

   • Source location (where stock is now)
   • Destination location (where stock should go)
   • Product option to transfer
   • Quantity to move

2. Execute the transfer:

   • Stock is deducted from source location
   • Stock is added to destination location

3. Verify completion:

   • Check source location shows reduced quantity
   • Check destination location shows increased quantity

Transfer Considerations

• No in-transit state: Transfers are immediate in the system
• Physical shipping: For tracked shipments, consider using internal POs
• Audit trail: Transfer history is logged for accountability

Location Configuration

Service Radius

For proximity-based assignment, each location can have a service radius:

• Distance in miles
• Orders beyond this distance won't be assigned to this location
• Leave empty or 0 for unlimited service area

Example:

• East Coast Warehouse: 500-mile radius
• West Coast Warehouse: 500-mile radius
• Central Warehouse: Unlimited (catches everything else)

Operating Hours

Configure when each location operates:

• Shipping hours: When orders can be shipped
• Receiving hours: When deliveries are accepted
• Production hours: When manufacturing occurs

Timezone

Set the local timezone for each location:

• Affects order due time calculations
• Affects schedule displays
• Affects shipping cutoff times

Products at Locations

You can optionally restrict which products are available at each location:

Location-Product Assignment

1. Go to the Product Attribute settings
2. In the Locations section, select which locations carry this attribute
3. Save

When configured:

• Inventory records are created only at assigned locations
• Assignment strategies consider product availability

When not configured (default):

• All active locations can carry any product
• Inventory records are created for all locations

Best Practices

Address Configuration

1. Complete addresses — Include street, city, state, ZIP, country
2. Verify accuracy — Test to ensure correct geocoding
3. Update promptly — Change addresses immediately if locations move

Service Radius Strategy

1. No overlap — Avoid overlapping service areas to prevent ambiguity
2. Complete coverage — Ensure at least one location covers each area you serve
3. Consider shipping zones — Align radius with carrier zone pricing

Inventory Distribution

1. Stock popular items everywhere — Fast movers should be available at all locations
2. Specialize locations — Some locations may focus on specific product lines
3. Monitor imbalances — Transfer stock before locations run out

Performance Monitoring

Track metrics by location:

• Order volume
• Fulfillment time
• Stock turnover
• Out-of-stock incidents

Troubleshooting

Orders Not Going to Expected Location

Problem: Orders aren't being assigned to the location you expect.

Check:

1. Is the expected location Active?
2. Is the strategy set correctly in Company settings?
3. For proximity: Is the location's address complete and valid?
4. For proximity: Is the customer within the service radius?
5. For inventory: Does the location have the ordered products in stock?

Proximity Not Working

Problem: Proximity-based assignment isn't working correctly.

Check:

1. Are location addresses complete?
2. Are customer shipping addresses complete?
3. Contact support if issues persist

Inventory Not Showing for a Location

Problem: Products don't appear when viewing a specific location.

Check:

1. Is the location Active?
2. Have inventory records been synced for this location?
3. Is the product attribute assigned to this location?
4. Try clicking Sync Inventory on the product attribute

Transfer Failed

Problem: Transfer between locations didn't work.

Check:

1. Does the source location have enough stock?
2. Are both locations active?
3. Is the product option valid at both locations?

Related Topics

• Inventory Overview
• Inventory Management
• Inventory Calculations
• Company Settings