> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.flowlity.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.flowlity.com/concepts/concepts/supplier-constraints.md). # Supplier constraints and order management The product, supplier, family and capacity constraints Flowlity respects when it recommends orders, and where you set each one. Constraints are the real-world rules your orders must follow: how long a supplier takes to deliver, the minimum quantity it accepts, how often you can order, how much fits in a truck. Flowlity takes them into account when it recommends orders, so that the planned orders you see in [Planning](/inventory-and-supply/planning.md) and [Supply orders](/inventory-and-supply/supply-orders.md) can be sent as they are. ### The constraints | Constraint | Applies to | Where you set it | What Flowlity does | | ---------------------------- | -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Lead time** (in days) | A product and its supplier | Product **Suppliers** tab, supplier settings, or **Change lead time** in the product list | Aligns the recommended orders with the lead time, and sets the order placement deadline | | **Minimum order quantity** | A product | Product **Suppliers** tab | Each recommended order is at least this quantity | | **Lot size** | A product | Product **Suppliers** tab (**Fixed lot size**) | Each recommended quantity is a multiple of the lot size | | **Order frequency** | A product | Your data (shown in **Product Details** > **Constraints**) | At most one recommendation per cycle of this length | | **Full truck** | A supplier | Supplier settings (**Full truck qte**) | The total ordered from the supplier each week matches the full truck quantity | | **Supplier MOQ** | A supplier | Supplier settings (**Min order qte**) | The total ordered from the supplier each week is at least this quantity | | **Supplier order frequency** | A supplier | Supplier settings (**Order frequency**) | At most one order to the supplier per cycle of this length | | **Tag family MOQ** | A product family (tag) | Settings > **Tags**, **Family MOQ** tab | The total ordered for the family is at least this quantity | | **Capacity** | A capacity unit | [Capacity](/inventory-and-supply/capacity.md) module | Alerts you when planned orders exceed the capacity limit or stay below the min load | Flowlity only uses the constraints activated for your site. To see them, open the **Planning agent** in the [Agents](/ai-and-automations/agents.md) module: each constraint is marked **Used** or **Not used**. The family MOQ needs activation: ask your Customer Success Manager to activate it. ### Where to edit them * **Product level**: in Planning, open **Product Details** (the **(i)** icon), click **Edit**, and change the values in the **Suppliers** tab of **Edit Product Details**: **Lead time**, **Minimum order quantity**, **Fixed lot size**. See [Products](/settings/settings/products.md). * **Supplier level**: in Settings > **Suppliers**, under **Constraints (optional)**: **Full truck qte**, **Min order qte**, **Order frequency** and **Lead time**. A lead time set here applies to every product of the supplier. See [Suppliers](/settings/settings/suppliers.md). * **Many products at once**: in the Planning list, select products and choose **Change lead time** in the actions menu.
Supplier settings with the optional constraints: full truck quantity, minimum order quantity, order frequency and lead time
{% hint style="warning" %} When your constraints come from your ERP or a data feed, those values stay the master data and override the changes you make in the app. {% endhint %} ### Example A product has a **Minimum order quantity** of 500 and a **Fixed lot size** of 100, with a lead time of 12 days. * The plan needs 620 units in a week: Flowlity recommends 700, the next multiple of 100. * The plan needs 120 units: Flowlity recommends 500, the minimum order quantity. * The order must arrive on 23 March: its order placement deadline is 12 of the supplier's working days earlier, and earlier still if the supplier is closed in between. ### Supplier closures A supplier can be closed for some periods, for example in summer. Flowlity plans the orders so that no delivery date falls inside a supplier closure. * You declare supplier closures in the supplier settings, in the **Site closures** tab of the supplier. See [Suppliers](/settings/settings/suppliers.md). * In Planning, closures show in the tooltip of the **Planned Orders** cells and in the **Supplier closures** section of the **Product strategy** panel. * Closures of your own sites are a different setting. See [Site closures](/settings/settings/site-closures.md). ### Several suppliers for one product * **Quotas**: when a product has several suppliers, the **Quotas** tab of the product sets how the orders are shared between them. * **Emergency supplier**: with this option, when the lead time of the usual supplier would cause a stockout, Flowlity switches to a supplier that can deliver in time, and picks the least expensive one if several can. The **Order type** column in Supply orders then shows **Emergency**. Ask your Customer Success Manager to activate it. ### Good to know * **Optimize** in Planning does not take **Supplier MOQ**, **Full truck**, **Supplier order frequency** and **MOQ & lot size per group of products** into account yet. * Supply orders flags the orders that break a constraint with the **Product constraints issue** and **Supplier constraints issue** alerts. You can still validate them if you have a reason to. * When a product is bought under a supply agreement, its MOQ, lot size and lead time show in **Product Details** > **Constraints** > **Supply agreement constraints**. ### Related pages * [Review and validate supply orders](/inventory-and-supply/supply-orders/review-validate-orders.md) * [Suppliers](/settings/settings/suppliers.md) * [Products](/settings/settings/products.md) * [Tags](/settings/settings/tags.md) * [Capacity](/inventory-and-supply/capacity.md) * [Supply orders](/inventory-and-supply/supply-orders.md) * [Planning](/inventory-and-supply/planning.md)