Cooling the Chaos: How Metalworks Took Control of Their Inventory Planning

Manual planning was creating a chill

Before implementing Netstock in 2021, inventory planning meant working through endless spreadsheets. “We were trying to manage thousands of SKUs in Excel,” said Marc Marchese, Assistant Manager-Operations. “It took hours to pull together something that resembled a plan — and even then, we were mostly reacting after the fact.” With so many custom orders, the team couldn’t afford delays or stock-outs. But frequent errors were driving up costs, and without clear visibility into inventory levels, trends, and demand shifts, Metalworks were always a step behind. “There was just no way to stay ahead using spreadsheets.”

Navigating the 2025 tariff tightrope

Tariffs have been a moving target for Metalworks, with little clarity on which products will be impacted and when. The team has had to adapt on the fly. “It’s a constant battle back and forth. There’s a lot of uncertainty, and it’s not like we can really plan for any of this, because we don’t know. Nobody knows,” said Marc.

Metalworks has taken a cautious approach, passing costs to customers only once they’re confirmed. It’s a balancing act—buy inventory early, risk overstock, or wait and pay higher prices. With Netstock, they’ve found more clarity amid the chaos, helping Metalworks stay agile, protect customer relationships, and avoid getting caught by sudden shifts.

Saving hours every day

For the team at Metalworks, the time savings have been enormous. By moving away from manual Excel sheets and streamlining their process with Netstock, they’re saving up to three or four hours a day, depending on the volume of orders. That extra time means they can get more orders out the door, respond faster to sales staff, and keep customers happy. It’s not just about saving time — it’s boosted overall efficiency across the teams, from purchasing to the warehouse, where cycle counts and stock checks are now quicker and easier.

Forecasting and ordering are faster and more accurate

Netstock took what used to be a long, complicated process and made it part of the daily flow. “Now we open Netstock, and the dashboard shows us exactly where we stand. Instead of second-guessing, we know what to order, when, and how much,” said Marc.

That time saved gets reinvested into smarter decisions — like evaluating suppliers, adjusting forecasts, or catching early demand trends. “It’s freed us up to work more strategically. We’re not just pushing buttons and hoping for the best anymore.”

Being more responsive with automatic safety stock

“The safety stock functionality built into Netstock lets us absorb a sales spike before changing any parameters. We can dial the buffer up, watch if demand holds, and then update our settings over time.”

Netstock’s safety stock feature automatically calculates and applies buffer levels to each item based on recent sales trends. This gives the team a controlled, gradual response to unexpected demand shifts, avoiding stock-outs without the whiplash of constant forecast resets.

The Opportunity Engine: A second set of eyes

The purchasing team is using Netstock’s AI Opportunity Engine to stay one step ahead. They see it as a built-in ‘digital assistant’ that helps the team spot issues early — whether it’s ordering too much, not enough, or reacting to shifting sales trends. By reviewing the insights before placing orders, the team gets helpful insight For Metalworks, the Opportunity Engine has become a practical, everyday tool that adds confidence to their planning.

“It’s like a second set of eyes on your work — an extra reminder to keep the team on track and ensure we’re catching things before they become problems.”

Excess Redistribution: Smart stock reallocation

With 7,000+ SKUs and a constant flow of orders, excess inventory can quietly pile up. That’s where Netstock’s Excess Redistribution feature comes in.

“Instead of just writing off overstock or reordering unnecessarily, we can now move surplus from one location to another to meet demand, which has saved us a lot in unnecessary purchases and helps us keep service levels high without ballooning inventory.”

Fast, effortless onboarding

Despite the complexity of their inventory landscape, onboarding was smooth. “The Netstock team made the process feel easy; they knew what questions to ask, how to configure the platform, and helped us get up and running quickly.”
The seamless integration with Spire ERP meant that data flowed freely from the start, and the team didn’t lose momentum during the onboarding process.

“I was impressed by the simplicity of the Netstock solution, but the smooth onboarding process truly reassured me that we made the right choice. The team was incredibly helpful—responding to every question and customizing the setup to fit our data and systems perfectly.”

Unexpected wins with Netstock

When Metalworks signed up for Netstock, they discovered that its impact extended far beyond orders, evolving into a central hub for strategic data-driven decision-making.

• Built-in AI and ongoing innovation. “We knew Netstock would streamline orders, but the AI tools, like the Opportunity Engine, were a great surprise. Seeing continual feature improvements keeps giving us even more value.”
• Automated ABC classification. “I used to export every SKU to Excel, color-coding A/B/C items one by one. Now Netstock automatically classifies each SKU for me in seconds, freeing up hours of manual work.”
• Warehouse operations unlocked. “Giving warehouse staff access to pull ABC reports, cycle-count lists, and add location notes has improved accuracy and helped us plan space before we actually run out of room.”
• Cross-team visibility. “I even share Netstock with sales reps and our warehouse manager. That extra data lets them spot trends or bottlenecks we’d never have seen in spreadsheets.”
• Proactive planning culture. “Before, we were always reacting. Now, with richer analytics at our fingertips—even insights we hadn’t asked for—we’re much more prepared, and our customers notice the difference.”

Inventory and demand planning with confidence

Today, the team has clarity and control — even when tariffs, supplier disruptions, or sudden demand shifts hit. They’re no longer stuck chasing problems — they’re staying ahead of them. “Netstock doesn’t just help us plan better. It helps us think better.”