Inventory Forecasting
Projecting how many units of an equipment type will be available on a future date, based on scheduled checkouts and expected returns.
Inventory forecasting answers a specific question: as of two weeks from now, how many wheelchairs will actually be sitting in the warehouse, given what is already scheduled to go out and what is already expected back. It is a projection built from real commitments already on the books, not a guess about future demand.
This matters most for equipment types running close to fully booked. Without a forecast, a supplier finds out they are out of a category the moment a new request comes in and there is nothing left to send. With a forecast, the same shortage shows up days or weeks ahead of time, while there is still room to redeploy a unit from another location, expedite a return, or simply warn a referral source in advance.
A forecast is only as good as the schedule data behind it. A unit checked out with no expected return date on file cannot be projected forward accurately. TrackDME checks availability for a proposed reservation date range, but its focused workflow does not provide a fleet-wide forecast dashboard. Our post on [rental data and planning](/blog/ai-for-dme-operations) explains the distinction.