The Stokka blog
Practical writing onmanufacturing and inventory.
Bills of materials, batch traceability, MRP, the move off spreadsheets. Written for owner-operators, not for procurement committees.
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Multi-batch recall in under 60 seconds: how it actually works
An ingredient-first recall lookup finds every finished batch, every shipment, and every customer touched by a single bad component batch. Here is the logic that makes it work, and why spreadsheets choke on it.
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Batch traceability
2 postsBatch tracking for small manufacturers: the complete playbook
Batch tracking is the discipline of knowing which component batch went into which finished batch and which customer shipment. Here is how to set it up so it holds up in an audit and under pressure.
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Food traceability for SMBs: FDA 204 explained (without the panic)
The FDA Food Traceability Rule (21 CFR Part 204) sets new record-keeping obligations for manufacturers of foods on the Food Traceability List. Here is a practical read for small manufacturers: what it requires, who it touches, and what you actually have to do.
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Bills of materials
3 postsHow to build a bill of materials (step by step)
A bill of materials is the spine of any production operation. Here is how to build one that captures real-world yield, sub-assemblies, and the operator-friendly detail that keeps the floor running.
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Multi-level BOMs vs single-level: when you need each
A single-level BOM is simpler. A multi-level BOM is honest. Here is a practical guide to when to use each, how they behave in MRP, and the operational cost of getting it wrong.
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Phantom BOMs: why they exist and when to use them
A phantom BOM is a grouping that exists in the data model but never as physical stock. Used well, it keeps your BOMs readable. Used badly, it hides quantities from MRP. Here is the test.
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MRP & planning
2 postsWhat is MRP, really? (plain English)
MRP stands for Material Requirements Planning. In practice it answers one question: to fulfil my orders, what do I need to make or buy, in what quantity, and by when. Here is how the maths works.
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MRP vs ERP: which do you actually need?
MRP plans what to make and buy. ERP runs the whole business. For most small manufacturers the answer is MRP plus the accounting they already use. Here is how to tell them apart and which fits where.
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