Inventory hold

How an inventory hold works

A hold changes what the system is allowed to do with stock, not where the stock is. Held units stay in their locations, but allocation skips them, so they never reach a pick list.

For example, a customer reports a strange smell from olive oil lot LOT-0826. You place a hold on that lot. Every unit of it, in every bin and on every pallet, becomes unavailable in one step, while other lots of OIL-008 keep shipping. If testing clears the lot, you release the hold. If not, it may become a product recall.

Common hold scopes

The scope of a hold should match the scope of the problem. Holding too narrowly lets bad stock ship; holding too widely stops good orders for no reason.

• Lot: a quality issue tied to one production batch.
• SKU: a labeling or listing error that affects every unit of a product.
• Location: a leak, pest sighting or rack damage in one area.
• License plate (LPN): one pallet or carton that looks damaged or suspicious.
• Supplier or inbound shipment: a problem with everything from one vendor or one delivery.

Hold vs quarantine

Both statuses make stock unavailable, but they start from different places. Quarantine is usually the default for stock that hasn't been cleared yet, such as new receipts awaiting inspection. A hold is a reaction to a specific concern about stock that was otherwise sellable.

The common mistake is placing a hold only on what is visible on the shelf. Units that are already picked, packed or waiting on the dock can still leave the building unless the hold also reaches them or someone checks outbound work.

How NextStock handles inventory holds

NextStock supports scoped holds by lot, SKU, location, LPN, supplier or ASN. Held stock is excluded from allocation, and when a problem turns into a recall, NextStock shows exposure: what is still in stock and what has already been picked, packed, loaded or shipped, and to which customers. See holds and recalls and the inventory traceability guide.