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Inventory

An Inventory node is a stock location: a store of named items that activities draw from and replenish, so a model can include the materials, parts, and supplies a process consumes alongside the entities that flow through it.

The Inventory node

On the Items tab you list what the inventory holds. Each item has a name, a starting quantity, an optional capacity and unit cost, a reorder level and reorder quantity for automatic replenishment, and a release order of FIFO or LIFO. Mark an item infinite supply when it should never run out.

When an item’s stock falls to its reorder level, the inventory places an order for its reorder quantity, which arrives after a lead time. This models a shelf, a parts bin, or a raw-material store that tops itself up, with no logic on your part. An item marked infinite supply never reorders, whatever these fields say.

A larger store can be split into zones with their own access times, so drawing from a far zone takes longer than a near one. The access time is charged once per withdrawal, and never on a deposit.

The Substitutions tab lists fallback items to take when the one asked for is out of stock. A rule only fires when the logic statement asks for it with SUBSTITUTE.

Items, Zones, and Substitutions are hidden until you reveal them with the eye icon in the tab strip:

During a run, action logic moves stock with STORE, TAKE, and REQUEST (see Inventory statements), and you can read a level anywhere with Inventory("Name").Qty("Item").