An inventory deep dive is a systematic review of your inventory operations, from stock accuracy and turnover to supply chain and financial performance. It’s designed to uncover inefficiencies and align your materials strategy with your business goals.

For manufacturers, this analysis goes far beyond a physical count. It reveals why inventory levels fluctuate, where capital is tied up, and how processes can be optimized to improve profitability.

At WM Synergy, we guide manufacturers through a proven, ERP-based deep dive process using Infor SyteLine (CloudSuite Industrial) and Acumatica Cloud ERP to deliver precise, data-backed insights.

Step 1: Validate Inventory Data

Every deep dive begins with confirming the integrity of your inventory data. Compare ERP records with physical inventory counts to ensure accuracy. Discrepancies often point to process issues, such as incomplete transactions, incorrect costing, or misaligned item tracking.

In Infor SyteLine and Acumatica, real-time validation tools and audit trails make this process faster and more accurate. Once data integrity is confirmed, analysis can move from counting items to understanding trends.

Step 2: Analyze Turnover and Stock Velocity

Inventory turnover is one of the most telling metrics in manufacturing. By reviewing turnover ratios in your ERP dashboards, you can identify:

  • Slow-moving items that tie up capital and storage space
  • Fast-moving items at risk of stockouts
  • Optimal reorder points for maintaining balance between availability and efficiency

ERP-based analytics from SyteLine or Acumatica automatically calculate these metrics, providing visual trends and alerts to guide smarter decisions.

Step 3: Review Demand Forecasting and Planning

Forecasting accuracy directly affects profitability. Compare historical demand to forecasted quantities to identify where planning errors lead to excess or shortage.

Infor SyteLine’s advanced planning and scheduling (APS) tools and Acumatica’s forecasting analytics allow users to fine-tune planning models based on real data, ensuring production and procurement stay in sync with actual demand.

Step 4: Evaluate Supplier and Lead-Time Performance

Suppliers play a major role in inventory balance. Evaluate vendor on-time delivery rates, lead-time variability, and order accuracy.

Both Infor SyteLine and Acumatica provide supplier scorecards and purchase order histories that make it easy to measure reliability. These insights help manufacturers negotiate better terms and adjust safety stock levels to mitigate supply risk.

Step 5: Assess Carrying Costs and Profitability

An effective deep dive connects inventory data to financial impact. Use ERP cost-tracking to calculate carrying costs, identify high-cost SKUs, and evaluate which products truly drive profit.

ERP dashboards can highlight where holding costs outweigh customer value, guiding decisions to reduce inventory or rebalance product lines.

Step 6: Identify Root Causes and Build Action Plans

Once data patterns are clear, the next step is understanding why inefficiencies exist. Common causes include outdated reorder policies, manual data entry, or lack of integration between departments.

At WM Synergy, we work with clients to translate findings into actionable plans, aligning system configuration, process improvement, and employee training to sustain results.

Step 7: Automate Ongoing Monitoring

The most effective inventory deep dives are not one-time projects. Using ERP dashboards and automated alerts in Infor SyteLine or Acumatica, manufacturers can continuously monitor KPIs such as turnover, aging, and stock accuracy.

This turns the deep dive into a living process, a continuous improvement loop that strengthens decision-making month after month.

Benefits of Performing an ERP-Based Inventory Deep Dive

A structured, ERP-driven inventory deep dive delivers measurable results:

  • Improved cash flow by reducing excess inventory
  • Higher accuracy in production planning and forecasting
  • Reduced stockouts and downtime through proactive monitoring
  • Lower carrying costs and increased profit margins
  • Greater visibility across purchasing, finance, and operations

These outcomes allow manufacturers to operate with leaner, smarter, and more predictable supply chains.

How WM Synergy Helps Manufacturers Perform Inventory Deep Dives

With over 35 years of ERP experience and 1,800+ client engagements, WM Synergy helps manufacturers turn data into direction.

We leverage the advanced analytics within Infor SyteLine and Acumatica Cloud ERP to perform deep dives that reveal not just where issues occur, but how to fix them. From data validation to process redesign, our approach ensures your ERP becomes a strategic tool for continuous improvement.

Knowing how to perform an inventory deep dive empowers manufacturers to take control of their operations with precision and confidence.

With ERP systems like Infor SyteLine and Acumatica Cloud ERP, and guidance from WM Synergy, manufacturers can move beyond reactive inventory management toward proactive, insight-driven performance.

At WM Synergy, we help you transform data into action and action into measurable business impact.