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Asked by: Ceneida Tremblay
business and finance manufacturing industryWhat is the difference between safety stock and buffer stock?
Accordingly, what is safety or buffer stock?
'Buffer stock' or 'strategic stock' or 'safety stock' or 'buffer inventory' is defined as a supply of inputs held as a reserve in case there are future demand and supply fluctuations. It is the excess inventory or safety stock, which retains some kind of buffer to protect in case of uncertain future.
In this regard, what is the difference between cycle stock and safety stock?
The cycle stock is the inventory expected to be sold based on demand forecasts, while safety stock is extra or buffer stock to meet excess demand, to protect against delayed shipments from your suppliers, or guard against unforeseen problems such as natural disasters.
Safety stock is an additional quantity of an item held by a company in inventory in order to reduce the risk that the item will be out of stock. Safety stock acts as a buffer in case the sales of an item are greater than planned and/or the company's supplier is unable to deliver additional units at the expected time.