Keeping Track of What You Have

Animal operations consume countless supplies. Feed, medications, vaccines, bedding, equipment, cleaning products. Commercial farms order feed by the ton. Zoos maintain specialised diets for dozens of species. Conservation teams track field equipment and veterinary supplies. Wildlife rescues manage medical inventory for emergency response.

Without systematic tracking, operations face constant challenges. Running out of essential items during critical moments. Wasting money on unnecessary purchases. Losing track of expiration dates leading to spoiled vaccines. Struggling to remember which supplier provides reliable products. Spending hours searching for inventory you know exists somewhere.

Kora's inventory and supply management transforms this chaos into organised, efficient operations. Know what you have. Know where it is. Know when it expires. Know where it came from. Know when to reorder. All while maintaining cost control and ensuring nothing critical runs out unexpectedly.

Why Inventory Management Matters

Operational Continuity: Never run out of essential supplies. Know stock levels at a glance. Get alerted before critical items deplete. Maintain operational readiness without constant manual counting.

Cost Control: Track what you buy, from whom, at what price. Identify cost trends. Compare supplier pricing. Optimise procurement decisions. Reduce waste from expired or unused inventory.

Safety and Compliance: Monitor expiration dates preventing use of expired medications or vaccines. Track batch numbers for recall response. Document controlled substances properly. Maintain audit trails for regulatory compliance.

Efficiency: Find what you need quickly with location tracking. Reduce time spent searching for supplies. Minimise duplicate purchases. Streamline ordering processes.

Animal-Specific Management: Know which products are suitable for which animal types. Access dosage information specific to species. Prevent administration errors through species-appropriate inventory organisation.

Integration with Operations: Inventory connects to animal treatments (medications used), health protocols (vaccines administered), sustainability tracking (carbon footprint of supplies), and traceability (batch tracking for compliance).

How Inventory Management Works

Kora's inventory system operates across three interconnected areas:

Inventory Tracking (Chapter 14.1)

What it is: Complete visibility into what supplies you have, where they are, and their current status.

Core capabilities:

• 46+ product categories covering feed, medications, vaccines, equipment, supplies, and specialised items for farms, zoos, conservation, and wildlife management
• Multi-location tracking across properties, facilities, and storage areas
• Quantity monitoring with minimum stock alerts
• Expiration date tracking preventing use of expired items
• Batch and lot number documentation for traceability
• Animal-type mapping showing which items are suitable for which species
• Storage location assignment finding items quickly

Example: Veterinary vaccine inventory showing 15 doses remaining in main facility refrigerator, expiring in 30 days, suitable for cattle and sheep, batch number VAC-2024-12345.

Supplier Management (Chapter 14.2)

What it is: Database of suppliers including contact information, performance metrics, and sustainability credentials.

Core capabilities:

• Supplier contact and account information
• Performance tracking (reliability, delivery times)
• Pricing history for procurement optimisation
• Sustainability ratings and certifications
• Active supplier management
• Search and filtering by location, specialty, or performance

Example: Supplier database showing FeedCorp as active supplier, 95% on-time delivery, sustainability rating 4/5, average 7-day lead time, 15 inventory items supplied.

Usage Analytics (Chapter 14.3)

What it is: Insights into consumption patterns, procurement efficiency, and cost trends.

Core capabilities:

• Consumption pattern analysis
• Cost tracking by category, item, or period
• Procurement optimisation recommendations
• Usage trends over time
• Animal-specific usage when linked to treatments

Example: Monthly analytics showing feed consumption increased 15% due to population growth, medication costs stable, three items approaching reorder threshold.

Inventory Categories

Kora supports 46+ product categories organised conceptually:

General Animal Care: Feed, Supplements, Medication, Vaccines, Veterinary Supplies, Bedding, Cleaning Products, Equipment, Supplies

Farm-Specific: Fertiliser, Seeds, Pest Control, Farm Machinery, Fuel

Zoo and Conservation: Enrichment Items, Exhibit Materials, Research Equipment, Wildlife Rescue Gear, Tracking Devices, Incubation Equipment, Quarantine Supplies, Transport Crates, Aquarium/Terrarium Supplies

Specialised Care: Grooming, Animal Training Tools, Behavioural Modification Tools, Nesting Materials, Artificial Habitats

Safety and Protection: Protective Gear, Safety Equipment, Emergency Supplies, Weather Protection

Health Monitoring: Diagnostic Equipment, Laboratory Supplies, Sampling Kits

Nutrition: Specialised Diets, Formula Preparation Supplies, Feeding Equipment

Breeding and Reproduction: Breeding Supplies, Artificial Insemination Equipment, Egg Incubators

Identification: Animal Identification tags, RFID equipment, Record Keeping Supplies, Data Collection Devices

Waste Management: Waste Disposal Equipment, Composting Supplies

Conservation: Habitat Restoration Supplies, Field Research Equipment, Biodiversity Monitoring Tools

Administrative: Packaging Materials, Office Supplies, Other

Categories are organisational tools. Choose the closest match for your inventory or use "Other" for unique items.

Integration with Other Features

Inventory connects across Kora, creating unified operational workflows:

Animal Management Integration (Chapter 8): Inventory items can be mapped to specific animal types. "This medication is suitable for cattle, sheep, and goats with dosage: 1ml per 10kg body weight." Animal-specific organisation prevents administration errors and provides dosage guidance at point of use.

Health & Treatment Integration (Chapter 10): Medication and vaccine administration automatically links to inventory. Recording a treatment can reduce inventory quantity, document batch number used, and create usage record for compliance.

Traceability Integration (Chapter 12): Batch and lot tracking creates traceability for treatments. If a vaccine batch is recalled, Kora identifies which animals received doses from that batch.

Sustainability Integration (Chapter 18): Inventory items and suppliers have sustainability credentials: organic certification, carbon neutral, locally sourced, fair trade. Track environmental impact of procurement decisions (see Chapter 18 for comprehensive sustainability features).

Task Integration (Chapter 13): Inventory triggers tasks automatically. Stock falls below minimum level? Task created to reorder. Item approaching expiration? Task flagged for review. Integration ensures inventory management connects to daily workflows.

Location Integration (Chapter 9): Inventory can be assigned to specific locations and subdivisions. Main facility has medications. North paddock storage has feed. Field vehicle has emergency supplies. Location-based organisation speeds retrieval and prevents searching.

Multi-Location Inventory

Large operations benefit from multi-location inventory tracking:

Example multi-location setup:

Main Facility - Veterinary Supply Room:
- Vaccines (refrigerated storage)
- Antibiotics (controlled substance tracking)
- Surgical supplies
- Diagnostic equipment

North Paddock - Feed Storage Shed:
- Cattle feed (bulk storage)
- Mineral supplements
- Salt licks

South Pasture - Equipment Shed:
- Fencing materials
- Tools and maintenance equipment
- Weather protection gear

Field Vehicle - Emergency Kit:
- First aid supplies
- Emergency medications
- Restraint equipment

Each location shows current inventory. Search finds items across all locations. Stock alerts trigger location-specific reordering.

Common Inventory Scenarios

Feed Management

Scenario: Commercial cattle operation consuming 500kg feed daily.

Inventory tracking:

• Current stock: 15,000kg
• Minimum threshold: 5,000kg (10-day supply)
• Storage location: Main feed shed
• Supplier: FeedCorp, 3-day lead time
• Cost tracking: $0.45/kg current price

Workflow: When stock drops to 5,000kg, Kora triggers reorder alert. Manager reviews pricing history, confirms supplier, places order. Usage analytics show consumption trends helping forecast future needs.

Medication and Vaccine Management

Scenario: Zoo veterinary department managing medications for 200+ animals across 50+ species.

Inventory tracking:

• Category-based organisation (Antibiotics, Vaccines, Pain Management, Specialised Medications)
• Animal-type mapping (which medications for which species)
• Expiration monitoring (alerts 30 days before expiry)
• Batch tracking (regulatory compliance)
• Controlled substance documentation
• Refrigeration location assignment

Workflow: Veterinarian treats elephant for infection. Searches inventory for antibiotics suitable for elephants. System shows available medications with dosage guidance. Treatment administered, inventory automatically reduced, batch number recorded for compliance.

Conservation Field Operations

Scenario: Wildlife conservation team managing remote field site inventory.

Inventory tracking:

• Field equipment (GPS collars, tracking devices, camera traps)
• Veterinary supplies for emergency response
• Research equipment (sampling kits, data collection devices)
• Transport equipment (crates, restraint gear)
• Location-based assignment (which equipment at which field station)

Workflow: Field team performs wildlife health assessment. Inventory shows sampling kits available at current location. Usage recorded documenting which animal samples collected with which kits. Batch tracking maintains research integrity.

Emergency Preparedness

Scenario: Animal facility maintaining emergency supply inventory.

Inventory tracking:

• Emergency medications and vaccines
• First aid supplies
• Backup feed (long-term storage)
• Emergency equipment (generators, transport crates)
• Expiration monitoring ensuring emergency supplies remain viable

Workflow: Regular reviews check emergency inventory completeness. Expiration alerts prevent emergency supplies from becoming unusable. When emergency occurs, inventory shows immediately available resources.

Who Uses Inventory Management?

Farmers and Livestock Owners: Track feed, medications, supplements, and farm supplies ensuring continuous operations without stock-outs.

Zoo Staff: Manage specialised diets, enrichment items, exhibit materials, and veterinary supplies for diverse species collections.

Veterinarians: Track medications, vaccines, diagnostic equipment, and surgical supplies with batch documentation for compliance.

Conservation Organisations: Manage field equipment, research supplies, tracking devices, and habitat restoration materials across remote sites.

Wildlife Rescue: Maintain emergency medical inventory, specialised equipment, and species-specific supplies ready for rapid response.

Farm Managers: Monitor costs, compare suppliers, optimise procurement, and maintain operational efficiency through data-driven decisions.

Community Animal Health Workers: Track vaccination supplies, basic medications, and field equipment for community-based animal health programmes.

Inventory management adapts to operation size and complexity. Single-person operations benefit from expiration tracking and stock alerts. Large facilities leverage multi-location inventory, supplier analytics, and cost optimisation.

Key Inventory Capabilities

Comprehensive Tracking: 46+ product categories covering everything from feed to specialised conservation equipment across diverse animal management contexts.

Multi-Location Organisation: Track inventory across facilities, storage areas, and field sites. Find items quickly with location-based searching.

Expiration Management: Monitor expiration dates preventing use of expired medications or vaccines. Automatic alerts ensure inventory remains viable.

Batch and Lot Tracking: Document batch numbers creating traceability for compliance, recalls, and research integrity.

Animal-Specific Mapping: Associate inventory items with suitable animal types including dosage information preventing administration errors.

Supplier Database: Maintain supplier contacts, performance metrics, and sustainability credentials supporting informed procurement decisions.

Usage Recording: Document inventory consumption linking to animals treated, purposes served, and costs incurred.

Stock Alerts: Minimum and optimal stock level monitoring triggering reorder alerts preventing unexpected depletion.

Cost Tracking: Monitor spending by category, item, or time period. Compare supplier pricing. Identify cost trends.

Sustainability Integration: Track environmental credentials of inventory and suppliers supporting sustainable procurement (see Chapter 18 for comprehensive sustainability features).

Integration with Operations: Inventory connects to treatments, health protocols, tasks, traceability, and animal management creating unified workflows.

Getting Started with Inventory

If inventory management is new to your operation:

1. Start Simple: Add high-value or critical items first (medications, vaccines, specialised feed). Get comfortable with basic tracking before expanding to complete inventory.

2. Identify Critical Items: What items would disrupt operations if depleted? What expires requiring monitoring? What has safety implications? Start tracking these systematically.

3. Set Stock Thresholds: Define minimum levels for essential items triggering reorder alerts. Prevents unexpected stock-outs without constant manual checking.

4. Organise by Location: If multi-location operation, assign inventory to specific storage areas. Reduces search time and improves retrieval efficiency.

5. Add Suppliers Gradually: Enter supplier information as you use them. Build supplier database organically without upfront data entry burden.

6. Link to Animals: For medications and vaccines, map items to suitable animal types. Prevents administration errors and provides dosage guidance.

7. Review Regularly: Check expiration dates weekly or monthly. Review stock levels quarterly. Adjust thresholds based on actual consumption patterns.

Inventory management grows with you. Start with essentials, expand as benefits become clear, evolve to comprehensive tracking supporting operational excellence.

Common Misconceptions

"Inventory systems are only for large operations": Even small operations benefit from expiration tracking, stock alerts, and supplier management. A hobby farm with 20 animals still uses medications that expire and feed that depletes.

"Too much work to track everything": Start with critical items only. Medications? Track those. Expensive equipment? Track it. Bulk feed? Maybe just track main storage. Selective tracking still provides value without comprehensive inventory burden.

"We will just remember what we have": Memory works until it does not. Forgetting expiration dates wastes money and creates safety risks. Missing reorder timing causes emergency procurement at higher cost. Systematic tracking prevents these failures.

"Our inventory is too simple to need tracking": If you have ever run out of something critical, could not find supplies you know exist, or thrown away expired inventory, tracking would help regardless of simplicity.

"Inventory is separate from animal management": Inventory integrates deeply. Medications link to treatments, vaccines connect to health protocols, supplies enable daily care. They are part of comprehensive operations, not separate systems.