How do you set reorder points in EBMS ERP?

In EBMS ERP, the reorder point is the Minimum on each item's Count tab, paired with a Maximum and a Reorder Increment. Set the item's purchase method to Stocked (Standard), enter those three values by hand or calculate them from sales history, then use the Inventory Purchasing page to turn low stock into purchase orders.

This guide covers EBMS ERP by Koble (formerly Eagle Business Software). The steps below follow Koble's current online EBMS help as published on the day we checked it. Those help pages do not state an EBMS version, so menu names may differ slightly on older releases.

Which purchasing methods does EBMS offer?

EBMS gives every item a default purchase method, and only Stocked (Standard) items are reordered from stock levels. Pick the method before you set any numbers.

You set the method in Inventory > Product Catalog: open the product record and click the Count tab. You can set a default in the folder's Edit Defaults and filter it down to a whole group. Special order and Replenishment methods can be switched off under Inventory > Options, General tab.

How do you set the Minimum, Maximum and Reorder Increment?

Open the item, go to the Count tab, and fill in the three stock level fields. EBMS prompts a purchase when Net Ordered (count plus purchase orders minus sales orders) falls below the Minimum.

1. Make sure the item tracks its count on hand. Automated tools skip items that do not.
2. Open Inventory > Product Catalog, double-click the item to open its product record, and click the Count tab.
3. Set the purchase method to Stocked (Standard).
4. Enter the Minimum: the Net Ordered level that should trigger a reorder.
5. Enter the Reorder Increment: the quantity you buy in, such as one case.
6. Enter the Maximum: the ceiling EBMS orders up to, in multiples of the increment.
7. Save the item.

A Minimum of zero means EBMS will not prompt a reorder until the item runs out. A Maximum of zero means EBMS always suggests exactly one Reorder Increment.

How do you calculate stock levels for many items at once?

EBMS has a Calculate Stock Level Settings utility that sets the Minimum and Maximum for a folder or range of items from past sales or purchases. You can run it as often as you like.

1. Select Inventory > Utilities > Calculate Stock Level Settings.
2. Pick a product folder and turn on Include Subfolders if needed.
3. Enter a range of items or select All Inventory Items.
4. If you stock more than one location, pick the warehouse, then click Next.
5. Enter the number of months' supply to keep on hand. Entering 1.0 sizes the levels to one month of supply.
6. Choose whether to average sales or purchases, how many months to average, and the ending month and year. For seasonal items, Koble suggests a full 12 months rather than 3.
7. Turn on Calculate Minimum and choose its formula.
8. Turn on Calculate Maximum, then click Calculate. Repeat for other folders.

How does EBMS's sales projection tool set stock levels?

The separate, optional Advanced Inventory Management module projects future monthly sales and sets the Minimum and Maximum from those projections. It applies only to items that track counts and use the Stocked method. If the Automated button under Stock Levels on the Count tab is missing, the module is not installed; Koble says to ask your account manager.

1. Open the item and click its product history year tab.
2. Select a warehouse. The Settings button stays disabled until you do.
3. Click Settings under Predicted Sales and choose a prediction type: Best Fit (Koble's recommendation), Average, Linear or Seasonal. Use Seasonal only once you have several years of history.
4. Choose the Maximum and Minimum formulas and enter the Months Supply.
5. Click Calculate Stock Level Settings.

To apply the same settings to a group, open Inventory > Options, Product Categories tab, click Edit Defaults on the folder, go to the Count tab and click Automated, set the values, then right-click each setting and choose Filter Down.

How do you pick good values?

Set the Minimum to the demand you expect during the vendor's lead time plus a safety buffer. Set the Maximum high enough to cover the time until your next order with that vendor.

• Lead time: days from placing the PO to having stock on the shelf, not the vendor's quoted ship time.
• Safety stock: extra days of cover for late trucks and busy weeks. Use more for erratic sellers and unreliable vendors.
• Review period: how often you order from that vendor. Monthly ordering needs a higher Maximum than weekly ordering.
• Reorder Increment: the case pack or vendor minimum you actually have to buy in.

Worked example (made-up numbers)

Brightline Supply sells about 120 units a month of a drill bit set from Ironwell Tools, roughly 4 a day. Ironwell's lead time is 21 days, Brightline wants 10 days of safety stock, it orders from Ironwell once a month, and the bits come in cases of 24.

• Minimum = 4 a day x (21 + 10) days = 124
• Maximum = 4 a day x (21 + 10 + 30) days = 244
• Reorder Increment = 24

Say Net Ordered drops to 110. That is below 124, so Default Orders on the purchasing page will suggest an order. Adding cases of 24 until just under the Maximum gives 5 cases, or 120 units, bringing Net Ordered to 230. Check the suggestion on your own system, since rounding can vary.

How do you turn low stock into a purchase order in EBMS?

Use the Inventory Purchasing page. It lists items for a vendor and fills in order quantities from your stock levels.

1. Open Inventory > Purchasing and click the Purchasing tab.
2. Turn on the Vendor option and enter the vendor ID.
3. Click Find (F5). The list stays empty until you do.
4. Click Default Orders to fill in suggested quantities, then adjust any line by hand.
5. Turn on Show items with order quantities to check the order.
6. Click Create, choose Order, confirm the vendor, and follow the wizard.

What are the most common mistakes?

• Leaving the Minimum at zero, so nothing is suggested until the item is out.
• Items not set to track counts or not on the Stocked method, so the sales projection tool skips them.
• A Maximum set too close to the Minimum, so every suggestion is a single increment and you reorder constantly.
• Including the current, unfinished month in sales history. Koble's purchasing page help advises against it.
• Choosing Seasonal projections with less than a few years of history.
• Setting values once and never recalculating them as sales change.

Where does a purchasing agent help?

An agent can do the forecasting and PO drafting on every run instead of relying on min/max values set months ago. ReorderOwl for EBMS reads your sales, stock and open POs, forecasts each item over lead time plus safety-stock days, adds your EBMS Minimum if you turn Minimums on, and rounds up to the order increment. It explains every line in an Excel workbook and, once your team confirms, saves the purchase orders in EBMS. Nothing goes to a vendor until someone on your team sends it.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the reorder point in EBMS?

It is the Minimum field on the item's Count tab, under Inventory > Product Catalog. EBMS prompts a reorder when Net Ordered falls below it.

What does Net Ordered mean in EBMS?

It is the count on hand plus quantities on purchase orders minus quantities on sales orders.

What happens if the Maximum is zero?

EBMS always suggests one Reorder Increment when the item is below its Minimum.

Can EBMS calculate min and max for me?

Yes. The Calculate Stock Level Settings utility sets them from sales or purchase history, and the optional Advanced Inventory Management module sets them from sales projections.

Should I use Seasonal projections?

Only once you have several years of sales history. Until then Koble recommends Best Fit.

Sources

1. Purchasing and Special Orders Overview, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
2. Creating Purchasing Parameters, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
3. Stock Level Settings, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
4. Inventory Forecasting Management, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
5. Inventory Purchasing Page, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
6. Create Purchase Orders from the Purchasing Page, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01