Nstock Help Documentation

Welcome to Nstock Help!

This guide provides an overview of the application's features and how to use them. If you need further assistance, please contact support.

Startup Guide

Getting started with Nstock for new users.

When you first log in to Nstock, a Startup Guide modal will appear to help you with the initial setup. This guide is designed to quickly get your basic inventory and product structures in place.

Welcome & SKU Check: The guide will ask if you already have existing SKUs for your items.
If No SKUs: It will guide you to define new raw materials (which also creates Master Product records) and then to create Bills of Materials (BOMs).
If Yes SKUs: It will suggest defining your Master Products first, then adding stock for raw materials (via repurchase orders or CSV upload), and finally creating BOMs.
Navigation: Each step offers to take you directly to the relevant page or proceed with the guide.
Skipping: You can skip the guide at any time. It will not appear again once skipped or completed.

Core Concepts & FAQ

Understanding the key ideas in Nstock.

What's the difference between a Master Product and an Inventory Lot?

This is the most important concept in Nstock.

A **Master Product** is the *definition* or *blueprint* of an item. It holds the core, unchanging information like its Name, SKU, Category, and the Unit it's measured in. It does not have a quantity. Think of it as the entry in a catalog.
An **Inventory Lot** is a *physical batch* of that item in your stock. It has a quantity, a specific lot number, an expiry date, and a location. You can have many different lots of the same Master Product.

How does Unit Conversion work?

Nstock allows you to track inventory in one unit while purchasing in another.

**Inventory Unit:** The primary unit used for BOMs and internal stock tracking (e.g., 'g' or 'ml'). This is set in the Master Product.
**Purchase Unit:** The unit you buy from your supplier (e.g., 'kg' or 'L'). This is set when you create a material order.
**Conversion Factor:** If the units differ, you must provide a factor. Example: If you buy a 25kg bag of flour but use it in grams, your Purchase Unit is 'kg', Inventory Unit is 'g', and the Conversion Factor is 25000 (since 25kg = 25,000g).

Which CSV upload should I use?

**Master Products CSV:** To define many products at once. This creates the blueprints.
**BOMs CSV:** To define many product recipes at once. The components must already exist as Master Products.
**Stock Inventory CSV:** To add initial quantities of items you already have on hand. The items must first be defined as Master Products.

Dashboard

The main landing page providing an overview of your operations.

The Dashboard offers a quick snapshot of your inventory and production status.

Welcome Message: Greets you and displays your company name.
Quick Stats: Shows key metrics like Active Production Runs, Incoming Material Orders, and Low Stock Warnings.
Quick Actions: Provides shortcuts to common tasks like placing material orders or starting production.

Inventory Management

Sections for managing raw materials, finished goods, orders, and waste.

Raw Materials Stock

View and manage your current raw material stock levels. Materials are grouped by SKU. Click on a material to expand and see individual lot details, edit details, or adjust quantities.

Finished Goods Stock

Overview of all manufactured products ready for sale or shipment. This lists items that have completed the production process. Batch codes are displayed and link to their production batch tickets for traceability.

Cycle Count

Tools for performing physical inventory counts.

**Scan & Update:** Use your device's camera to scan a barcode, find the item, and quickly update its quantity.
**Manual Quick Edit:** A table-based view of all inventory lots. Allows for rapid, spreadsheet-like adjustments to quantities and locations. Your progress is saved as a draft automatically.

Place Material Order

Initiate orders for new or existing raw materials.

**Define & Order New Material:** For items not yet in your Master Products. Define its core details (SKU, units, etc.) while creating the order.
**Repurchase Existing Material:** A quick form to reorder a single, existing raw material.
**Create Purchase Order (PO):** Build a formal PO with multiple line items for a single supplier. Best for bulk ordering.

Pending Material Orders

Manage and receive materials that have been ordered but not yet added to stock. Click "Receive" to process incoming shipments, record quantities (passed/failed QC), and update inventory.

Box Inventory

Manage your stock of shipping boxes and other packaging materials.

Waste Log

Track all instances of raw material or finished good wastage, including associated costs.

Products & Orders

Define your products, recipes, and manage sales orders.

Master Products

The central definition for every item you use or sell, including raw materials and finished goods. This is where you set an item's SKU, name, inventory unit, and category.

Bills of Materials (BOMs)

Your product recipes. A BOM links a finished good Master Product to the specific raw material Master Products (and their quantities) required to make it.

Sales Orders

View, create, and manage customer orders. Fulfilling an order will automatically deduct the correct finished goods and shipping boxes from your inventory.

Production

Manage and track your manufacturing processes.

Start Production Run

Initiate a production batch from a BOM. You'll specify the quantity to produce and select which inventory lots of raw materials to consume. This deducts raw materials and creates a pending batch.

Pending Batches

Track batches that are in progress. Once production is complete, you can "Receive" the batch to add the finished goods into your inventory.

Reports

AI-powered insights and traditional financial reporting.

Inventory Projection Analysis

Uses AI to project inventory depletion times based on historical usage data.

AI Reorder Advisor

Leverages AI to analyze inventory, usage, and lead times to provide smart reorder suggestions.

Finance Reports

A dedicated section with key financial reports:

**Inventory Valuation:** A snapshot of the total value of your raw materials and finished goods.
**Cost of Goods Sold (COGS):** Calculates the cost of materials consumed for fulfilled orders in a given period.
**Purchase Spend:** Analyzes total spending on raw materials, filterable by supplier and date.
**Waste:** A detailed report on the value and quantity of all wasted items.

Settings

Configure application behavior and manage your account.

The settings area allows you to manage your profile, company details, users (as admin), production settings, notification preferences, and system data modes.

Manage Units, Categories & Suppliers

Create, edit, and manage custom lists for units of measure, product categories, and suppliers to tailor the application to your specific business needs.