Multi-branch replenishment: getting the right quantity to every branch

If you supply many branches from a central warehouse or kitchen, you answer the same question every day: what should we send to each branch, when should we send it, and how do we deliver it under real constraints?

Why it goes wrong

• Orders are guesswork. Quantities are set by habit, not by what each branch actually sells.
• Fresh stock expires. Short shelf-life items are sent too early, in excess, or to the wrong branch.
• Shortages hit the wrong branches. When supply is limited, there is no fair, rule-based way to allocate it.
• Trucks run half-full. Routes, capacity and visit days are planned by hand.

A better daily process

1. Start from sales. Build each branch's requirement from its own sales and demand behavior.
2. Plan for events. Adjust for promotions, holidays and expected demand shifts before they happen.
3. Translate to components. For prepared products, convert finished-product demand into ingredient and component requirements through the BOM.
4. Allocate fairly when supply is short. Share available warehouse stock across branches by clear rules, not by who calls first.
5. Respect freshness. Apply expiry, FEFO and chilled or ambient constraints in every decision.
6. Plan the truck, not just the order. Build loads and routes around capacity, weight and branch visit windows.
7. Close the loop. Compare planned versus delivered, branch by branch, and learn from the gaps.

One plan from the office to the road

OPTIFLOW connects all of these steps in one decision and execution process: sales-driven replenishment, inventory allocation, BOM and freshness rules, what-if simulation, route optimization, a driver mobile app and fulfilment review. It is built for coffee chains, restaurant chains, food retail and central kitchens.