Dataforge · Executive demo · Multi-period inventory optimization
Simulated case · Consumer goods importer
6-month purchasing plan
You are the head of purchasing for an importer. You have 5 product categories and can place orders at two moments in a 6-month horizon: at the start of month 1 and at the start of month 4.
There are two suppliers: Asia (cheaper, 60-day lead time) and Europe (more expensive, 30-day lead time). What you order in month 1 arrives in month 2 (Europe) or month 3 (Asia), and what you order in month 4 arrives in month 5 (Europe) or month 6 (Asia).
The critical constraint: each category has a warehouse limit. You cannot buy everything at once — you must split between both orders. Each order must also fill at least one container of 20 pallets.
Monthly demand per category (pallets) and warehouse capacity
| Category | Opening stock | M1 | M2 | M3 | M4 | M5 | M6 | Total | Max warehouse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 📱 Electronics | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 24 | 12 |
| 👗 Apparel | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 10 |
| 🏠 Home | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 10 |
| 🧩 Toys | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 10 |
| 💆 Beauty | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 10 |
■ Order 1 (month 1) covers this period · ■ Order 2 (month 4) covers this period
Supply timeline
⚠ Asia from Order 2 arrives in month 6 — only covers the last month. For month 5 you must use Europe (or pre-order in Order 1).
🌏 Supplier Asia
60 days · Cheaper
MOQ: 1 pallet per SKU
🇪🇺 Supplier Europe
30 days · ~20% more expensive
MOQ: 1 pallet per SKU
Each order must be at least 1 container = 20 pallets across all categories combined.