Fishbowl Counts Your Detroit Stock but Can't Prove the Lot When the OEM Calls
Custom inventory management software for a Detroit supplier runs $35k to $120k over 3 to 6 months. Fishbowl, Cin7, and spreadsheets tell you how many you have. They struggle to prove which lot of raw steel or which supplier batch went into a specific shipment, which is exactly what an OEM demands during a containment, and what FIFO traceability and EDI-driven replenishment require.
A pure count is the easy half of inventory. Fishbowl and a spreadsheet can tell you there are 1,200 brackets on the rack. The hard, automotive half is genealogy: which heat lot of steel, which coating batch, which supplier shipment is in those brackets, and which finished goods they became. When an OEM issues a containment over a suspect raw material, a count is useless; you need to trace the affected lots forward to every shipment in hours, not weeks.
Replenishment is the other gap. A Detroit supplier on JIT to an OEM needs reorder logic driven by the live EDI release, not a static min-max someone set last year. Spreadsheet min-max means you either carry too much working capital on the floor or run short and pay for expedite freight. The expensive lesson is the containment that took three weeks of binder-digging because the inventory system held counts but not genealogy.
- An OEM requires lot traceability and your last containment took weeks
- Static min-max is costing you in excess WIP or expedite freight
- You handle dated coatings or adhesives where FIFO must be enforced
- You need raw-to-shipment genealogy your current tool cannot provide
- You need counts and reorder points with no traceability requirement
- Your products are not lot-controlled and recalls are not a risk
- Fishbowl or Cin7 already covers your real workflow
- You have under $30k and a count-only tool is enough
- Full lot genealogy turns a containment from three weeks of digging into a same-day query
- EDI-driven replenishment ties reorder points to the OEM's live pull, cutting both excess and expedites
- Enforced FIFO and shelf-life keep expired coatings and adhesives out of a build
- Real-time visibility from raw lot to finished shipment across the plant
- Integration with the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and WMS (Warehouse Management System) so counts, genealogy, and shipments stay one truth
- Lot tracking requires disciplined scanning at receipt and every move; the data is only as good as the floor
- More to implement than a count-only tool; budget for barcode hardware and training
- EDI replenishment integration adds scope and cost over a static min-max
- If you do not have traceability requirements, a count-only tool may genuinely suffice
Inventory Management pricing in Detroit: the real numbers
| Project scope | Typical cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Lot genealogy + FIFO + barcode MVP | $35k to $60k | 3 to 4 months |
| EDI-driven replenishment + WMS integration | $60k to $90k | 4 to 5 months |
| Multi-site + RFID + full traceability suite | $90k to $120k | 5 to 6 months |
The features that matter for Detroit
Inventory Management services we deliver in Detroit
Everything an inventory management build here can cover: real-time inventory, purchase order management, demand forecasting, inventory management software and stock control system.
Exactly what you get
Inventory software that proves the lot, not just the count. It tracks genealogy from a heat lot of raw steel through WIP to the exact shipment it left in, enforces FIFO and shelf-life on dated materials, and drives replenishment off the live EDI release. When an OEM issues a containment, you name every affected shipment the same day, and your reorder points move with the real pull instead of a stale spreadsheet number.
How to choose a developer in Detroit
Hire a team that treats traceability and EDI as core, not extras. Ask them to trace a raw lot to a finished shipment in their demo. The best builds tie inventory to your ERP, your warehouse management system, and your supply chain software so genealogy, replenishment, and shipments share one source of truth.
From kickoff to launch: the schedule
- !They equate inventory with counts; ask how they trace a raw lot to a shipment
- !No EDI replenishment plan; ask how reorder points follow the OEM release
- !They skip FIFO and shelf-life; ask how expired material is blocked
- !No barcode or scanning workflow; ask how lot data gets captured accurately
- !Fixed quote without a floor walk; ask for paid discovery on traceability needs
If inventory management is on the roadmap, accounting, project management, lms usually follow within the year. Budget them as one conversation.
Rohan advises mid-market and enterprise teams on ERP, CRM and custom software, and has led delivery on dozens of business-software builds.
Writes for Digital Heroes, shipping business software for 2,000+ brands across 55+ countries since 2017.
Frequently asked questions
How much does custom inventory software cost in Detroit?
Expect $35k to $120k. Lot genealogy with FIFO and barcode starts near $35k to $60k. Adding EDI-driven replenishment and WMS integration runs $60k to $90k, and a multi-site RFID traceability suite reaches $120k.
Why isn't Fishbowl enough for an auto supplier?
Fishbowl tracks counts well but struggles to prove lot genealogy, which an OEM demands during a containment. Without raw-to-shipment traceability, a containment becomes weeks of binder-digging instead of a same-day query.
Can the system trace a raw lot to a shipment?
Yes. Full forward and backward genealogy links each heat lot or supplier batch through WIP to the finished shipments it became, so a recall or containment names every affected order in minutes.
Can replenishment follow our OEM's EDI releases?
It can. EDI-driven replenishment ties reorder points to the live 830 forecast and 862 ship schedule, so you carry less excess WIP and pay for fewer expedites than a static min-max allows.