Workshop Lubricant Inventory: Stock and Reorder Worksheet

1. Give each product and pack an unambiguous identity

A workshop stock sheet should let a buyer, storekeeper and technician identify the same product without a follow-up phone call. Start with the manufacturer article code, full product name, pack size and storage location. Keep different pack sizes as separate stock entries even when they contain the same product. Add a common volume unit for purchasing calculations, so litres in bottles and drums can be compared without losing the original pack count.

Add a reference to the verified application record, current technical data and safety data. A shelf name such as “European 5W-30” is too broad to release a product for a vehicle. Use the approvals checklist linked below to establish suitability, then carry the selected article code into stock records. This article proposes an operational worksheet; each workshop should adapt the review responsibilities and software fields to its own service process.

2. Distinguish physical, usable, reserved and incoming stock

Physical stock is everything counted at the location. Usable stock excludes material that is damaged, unidentifiable or awaiting a quality decision. Reserved stock is the usable quantity allocated to a specific job or commitment. Free stock today is usable stock minus those reservations. An open purchase order is not free stock: record it separately with the confirmed quantity and expected arrival date.

For example, counting a sealed drum in the building does not make it available if it is allocated to a fleet booking. Likewise, a delivery promised after tomorrow’s service cannot cover that booking today. Give a quarantined container its own status and reason, with a named person responsible for resolving it. Avoid reducing its quantity to zero without a transaction, because that removes the trail needed to explain the physical count.

3. Use these fields for a practical stock worksheet

Create one row per product code, pack size and location. Include: count date; unopened packs; measured usable remainder in opened packs; total usable litres; reserved litres; free litres today; confirmed incoming litres; expected receipt date; average demand per week; planning lead time in weeks; safety stock; reorder point; target stock; proposed purchase quantity; batch reference; reviewer. Keep pack counts alongside litres so the order can be reconciled against delivery paperwork.

Record the period used to calculate demand. Four weeks with a single large fleet visit may be less representative than a longer period covering the normal customer mix. Mark exceptional jobs rather than quietly removing them from history. If demand is irregular, use the actual booking schedule as well as an average. Add a note explaining any manual override, such as a confirmed group booking or a delayed supplier receipt.

4. Worked example: calculate when and how much to order

This fictional example uses a continuous-review rule, where stock movements are reviewed as they occur. Assume a workshop consumes 40 litres per week of one already verified oil, delivery takes one week, and the workshop chooses 20 litres of safety stock. The reorder point is expected demand during lead time plus safety stock: 40 × 1 + 20 = 60 litres. The safety quantity is an example management choice, not a universally correct buffer.

Assume 50 usable litres are on hand, 10 litres are committed to overdue jobs outside the forecast, and 20 litres are confirmed incoming within the planning window. The planning inventory position is 50 + 20 − 10 = 60 litres. It reaches the example reorder trigger. Free stock today is only 40 litres, so the storekeeper must also check whether the incoming delivery arrives before the remaining stock is needed. An inventory-position calculation cannot fix a delivery that arrives too late.

If the workshop chooses a target inventory position of 100 litres, the suggested order is 100 − 60 = 40 litres. Assuming the supplier confirms 20-litre packs for this example, that is two packs. Do not automatically subtract every future reservation as well as forecasting the same job’s demand: count each commitment once. If purchases are reviewed only once a week, the protection period must also account for that review gap. Recalculate using actual delivery variability, bookings and the workshop’s chosen service level.

5. Receive, label and store the delivery before releasing it

Match the received product code, pack size and count to the purchase order. Record batch information and inspect container condition. Put a discrepancy on hold with a photograph and delivery reference, then obtain a resolution. Only released quantities should increase usable stock. When a partial delivery arrives, close the received portion and retain a dated record of what is still outstanding; otherwise the next buyer may order the missing quantity twice.

Read the storage instructions for each fluid family. For example, section 7 of the MANNOL DOT-4 3002 safety data sheet calls for a tightly sealed container. Keep that instruction with the stock record and ensure opened containers remain identifiable. For a UAE workshop, inspect the actual storage area rather than assuming that being under a roof is sufficient. Follow the relevant product instructions, keep identification readable and assign suitable locations before the delivery arrives. A rule for one product does not establish a storage-temperature limit for every lubricant.

6. Plan fluid families around the work, not just shelf space

Build the purchasing list from recurring verified service jobs. For transmission work, reserve the correct fluid alongside the required service parts and procedure. ZF’s service guidance stresses the specified oil, correct fill level and temperature; having litres on a shelf alone does not make a transmission service ready. Keep the stock calculation separate from the technician’s fill instruction, and do not use the reorder worksheet as a universal capacity chart.

Brake fluid also needs a precise product identity. The official MANNOL DOT-4 3002 page lists its specification set and several pack sizes; those catalogue entries do not establish local stock or mean that every brake system accepts the product. Choose the verified product and an appropriate pack for the planned jobs, and follow its handling instructions. Keep coolant concentrate and ready-to-use coolant as distinct inventory items so a volume total cannot conceal a preparation difference.

7. Reconcile issues, returns and ageing stock

Record an issue when stock leaves the store for a job and reconcile the actual quantity used. An unopened return can be assessed for return to usable stock; an uncertain remainder should not silently reappear as a sealed pack. Assign a consistent method for measuring opened containers and record that method, rather than estimating a drum by appearance one week and by a dispensing meter the next.

Use product-specific storage information when reviewing ageing stock. MANNOL Low Viscosity Grease Ester, for example, states a five-year shelf life conditional on storage conditions and intact packaging, and specifies dry storage at +5 to +35 °C. Those figures apply to that product; they are not a universal expiry rule for engine oil, brake fluid or coolant. Retain marked dates and review older stock against its own documentation. Set a cycle-count frequency suited to turnover and risk. When the count differs from the register, investigate missing issues, unit conversions and receiving errors before editing the balance.

8. Send a purchase request that can be checked and quoted

For each line, send the product code or verified specification, preferred pack size, pack count, total volume, required date and delivery location. State whether a substitute may be proposed for technical review. Ask the supplier to confirm the actual pack, quantity available, lead time and commercial terms. A catalogue range is a selection aid; it is not a reservation of stock or a delivery promise.

At the next purchasing review, compare planned demand with issues recorded against completed jobs. Track emergency orders, delayed jobs attributable to stock, ageing usable quantities and recurring count differences. Use the findings to change the assumptions in the worksheet, not merely to increase every buffer. A good stock register explains why a product is held, what is available today, when more is due and who checked the next order.