Varuhaldust

Varuhaldust is the practice of overseeing and controlling the flow of goods within an organization to ensure adequate stock while minimizing costs. It covers activities such as stock tracking, warehousing, procurement, order fulfilment, and replenishment planning. The goal is to balance supply and demand, reduce carrying costs, and maintain high service levels.

In Estonian usage, varuhaldus refers to the systematic management of stock. The form varuhaldust appears in sentence constructions such as the partitive or accusative case, depending on grammatical context. The concept is central to operations, logistics, and supply chain management.

Core methods include perpetual inventory systems, which update stock levels in real time, and periodic counting. Analytical approaches such as ABC analysis prioritize high-value items, while economic order quantity and safety stock calculations help optimize ordering and buffer against variability. Just-in-time and other lean techniques aim to minimize stock by aligning replenishment with production and demand. Cycle counting maintains inventory accuracy without full-scale audits.

Technology and processes often rely on enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and warehouse management systems (WMS), with tagging technologies like barcodes or RFID to improve traceability. Data quality and accuracy are crucial for reliable forecasting, replenishment, and reporting.

Key performance indicators for varuhaldust include inventory turnover, days of inventory on hand, service or fill rate, stockout rate, carrying costs, and obsolescence. The approach applies across sectors such as retail, manufacturing, distribution, e-commerce, and healthcare, where effective stock management supports operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

History of varuhaldust reflects a shift from manual record-keeping to computerized systems, with barcodes becoming widespread in the late 20th century and RFID deployments in the following decades, increasingly integrated with ERP ecosystems.