Supplier & Inventory ManagementPurpose
1. Automate scheduled reporting for inventory levels and wastage in Eastern European restaurants, ensuring timely insights into stock, preventing over-ordering, reducing spoilage, and maintaining efficient supplier management.
2. Facilitate automated data collection, aggregation, analysis, and delivery, reducing manual effort and human error in inventory oversight.
3. Automatedly generate recurring reports (daily, weekly, monthly) and deliver them to stakeholders via email, cloud storage, chat, mobile devices, or dashboards.
Trigger Conditions
1. Scheduled timers (e.g., daily at midnight, weekly on Mondays) automate report generation and distribution.
2. Inventory level thresholds automatically trigger ad hoc reporting if stock is low or wastage exceeds limits.
3. Supplier delivery or stock check-in events can trigger instant automated reporting flows.
Platform Variants
1. Microsoft Power Automate
- Feature/Setting: Scheduled cloud flow; configure recurrence trigger and connect to Excel/SharePoint/SQL; automate PDF generation and Outlook email delivery.
2. Zapier
- Feature/Setting: Schedule trigger; connect to Google Sheets via “Update Spreadsheet Row”; automate Gmail action and Slack notification.
3. Google Apps Script
- Feature/Setting: Time-driven trigger; automate reading from Google Sheets, create PDF, and email automated reports.
4. Make (formerly Integromat)
- Feature/Setting: Scheduler module; automate fetching inventory data from cloud storage; automate attachment to automated email via Gmail/Outlook.
5. Trello
- Feature/Setting: Power-Up automation; automate scheduled card creation with report attachment from inventory-check list.
6. Asana
- Feature/Setting: Rules; automate creation of recurring tasks with linked automated reports from inventory database/API.
7. Notion
- Feature/Setting: Automate report page creation via API; schedule automatic database exports for inventory and wastage.
8. Airtable
- Feature/Setting: Automations; schedule sending inventory summaries to Slack, Teams, or via Airtable email integration.
9. Slack
- Feature/Setting: Scheduled messages; automate inventory alert delivery via bot integration with inventory API.
10. Microsoft Teams
- Feature/Setting: Power Automate bot; automate posting of summarized inventory report to Teams channels.
11. Salesforce
- Feature/Setting: Scheduled Apex; automate report generation and Chatter post/email to purchasing team.
12. Twilio SMS
- Feature/Setting: Automated scheduled SMS for inventory and wastage anomalies exceeding configured thresholds.
13. SendGrid
- Feature/Setting: Automated scheduled email delivery using Dynamic Templates API for formatted reports.
14. Dropbox
- Feature/Setting: Automated saving of each scheduled report to designated folder with push notification.
15. Google Drive
- Feature/Setting: Automated uploading and shared link creation for reports generated via Apps Script.
16. SAP Business One
- Feature/Setting: Automatedly schedule Crystal Reports export and routing to procurement team inbox.
17. Oracle NetSuite
- Feature/Setting: Scheduled SuiteScript; automate inventory report creation and dispatch via SuiteTalk API.
18. Shopify
- Feature/Setting: Automated scheduled custom app/flow for inventory and wastage report delivery via email or Google Sheets.
19. QuickBooks Online
- Feature/Setting: Scheduled automation via API to extract COGS, inventory, and automate PDF report to email.
20. Zoho Inventory
- Feature/Setting: Scheduled workflow; automate report export and delivery to relevant management emails.
Benefits
1. Automates error-prone manual reporting, improving accuracy and timeliness.
2. Automates tracking of inventory trends, enabling proactive wastage reduction and better forecasting.
3. Automatedly notifies decision makers instantly, supporting rapid response to anomalies.
4. Automation delivers consistent, reliable documentation for audits and compliance.
5. Frees staff for higher-value tasks, driving operational efficiency through automation.