<P> Inventory (American English) or stock (British English) is the goods and materials that a business holds for the ultimate goals to have a purpose of resale (or repair). </P> <P> Inventory management is a discipline primarily about specifying the shape and placement of stocked goods . It is required at different locations within a facility or within many locations of a supply network to precede the regular and planned course of production and stock of materials . </P> <P> The concept of inventory, stock or work - in - process has been extended from manufacturing systems to service businesses and projects, by generalizing the definition to be "all work within the process of production - all work that is or has occurred prior to the completion of production ." In the context of a manufacturing production system, inventory refers to all work that has occurred - raw materials, partially finished products, finished products prior to sale and departure from the manufacturing system . In the context of services, inventory refers to all work done prior to sale, including partially process information . </P> <P> The scope of inventory management concerns the balance between replenishment lead time, carrying costs of inventory, asset management, inventory forecasting, inventory valuation, inventory visibility, future inventory price forecasting, physical inventory, available physical space, quality management, replenishment, returns and defective goods, and demand forecasting . Balancing these competing requirements leads to optimal inventory levels, which is an ongoing process as the business needs shift and react to the wider environment . </P>

The concept of ensuring inventory of beer (volume and sku's) is known as