Lagerumschlagshäufigkeit erhöhen

What does increasing inventory turnover mean?

Inventory turnover indicates how often an average stock level is completely consumed and replenished within a defined period. It is typically calculated as outgoing goods or consumption divided by average inventory. Increasing this key figure reduces the value tied up in the warehouse, lowers storage costs, and decreases the risk of slow-moving items or excess stock. At the same time, increasing turnover must not come at the expense of service levels — excessively low stock levels increase the risk of shortages and can destabilize supply chains.

How does increasing turnover work in practice?

In practice, several levers interact, and you must weight them differently depending on your product range and process maturity:

• Adjust replenishment parameters: Reorder points, safety stocks, and lot sizes are often set on a blanket basis and not reviewed regularly. A data-driven revision at the article level — based on actual consumption fluctuations and lead times — reduces excess stock without compromising service levels.
• Rationalize the product range: Items with consistently low turnover tie up space and capital. An ABC/XYZ analysis helps identify candidates for delisting, substitution, or centralized stocking.
• Improve forecasting: Better sales forecasts enable demand-driven order quantities instead of safety-oriented buffers. Structured sales planning and the integration of sales data play an important role here.
• Reconsider delivery models: Higher delivery frequency with smaller lot sizes, consignment stock, or Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) can shift inventory to the supplier side. It should be assessed whether purchasing advantages from volume discounts outweigh the additional costs.
• Shorten process times in the warehouse: Long lead times between goods receipt and putaway effectively increase tied-up inventory. More efficient processes have an indirect positive effect on turnover.

What matters when implementing measures?

Every measure must be preceded by analysis: which items have low turnover, and why? The causes may lie on the procurement side (high minimum order quantities, long lead times), but also in sales (lack of demand, substitution by other items) or in planning (outdated master data, poor forecasts). Measures should therefore be coordinated across departments between logistics, purchasing, and sales. An isolated inventory reduction by logistics alone is rarely sustainable. It should also be noted that a very high turnover rate is not inherently better — it may indicate insufficient safety stocks and can be risky in disruption-prone supply chains. The target value depends on the industry, item characteristics, and supply strategy.