Supplier Lead Time Tracker Worksheet
Material planning only works if the lead times in the ERP are true. This worksheet compares what suppliers quote, what your ERP assumes and what actually happens, so you can fix the gaps that cause shortages.
| Part number | Supplier | ERP lead time (days) (days) | Quoted lead time (days) (days) | Actual lead time (days) (days) | Variance vs quoted | Gap vs ERP | Late percent | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 days | 13 days | 46.4% | |||||||
2 days | -2 days | 20% | |||||||
22 days | 17 days | 73.3% | |||||||
-1 days | -1 days | -14.3% | |||||||
12 days | 12 days | 57.1% |
Measure actual lead time from the purchase order release date to goods receipt, over several recent orders, and enter the average. A positive variance means the supplier is slower than quoted.
Get lead time updates proposed from ERP receipts
Optional: a read-only analysis of actual versus planned lead times.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the tracker
List your top parts or suppliers. Enter the lead time currently in the ERP, the supplier's quote and the actual average from recent receipts. The sheet computes the variance, the gap against ERP and a late percent. Choose an action per line. Sort the exported Excel by gap to find where MRP is planning on fiction.
- Use PO release to receipt as the actual measure.
- Average at least the last three orders.
- Include supplier transit and your receiving time.
Reading the results
A positive gap against ERP means MRP releases orders too late and you will see expedites. A large negative gap means you carry too much inventory because you order too early. Variance against quoted tells you about supplier reliability, while the gap against ERP tells you about your own data. Both need action but different people own them.
Updating your ERP
Planned lead time lives on the item, item-vendor or purchasing info record depending on the ERP: material master planned delivery time in SAP, item lead time fields in Oracle, vendor lead time in SyteLine and Epicor. Update the values where MRP reads them and re-run planning in a test scope first, since changes shift suggested order dates across many parts.
Common mistakes
Using the quoted lead time without checking receipts, updating one part and ignoring the family, forgetting that lead time varies by season, and averaging so widely that outliers disappear. Consider using a high percentile for critical parts instead of the average.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I measure actual lead time?
Take the number of days from the PO release or order date to the goods receipt date for each recent order, then average them. Exclude orders you changed or delayed yourself.
Should the ERP lead time be the average or a longer figure?
For stable parts the average is fine. For critical or variable parts, use a higher percentile or add safety time, since an average means half your orders arrive late.
How often should I review lead times?
Quarterly for key suppliers and after any disruption, capacity change or shipping route change. Review monthly if your market is volatile.
What is a good late percent?
There is no universal figure. Anything consistently above ten to fifteen percent over the quoted time suggests the quote is unreliable or the supplier is short of capacity.
Netray can compute actual lead times by vendor and item from your ERP receipts and propose updates for your approval.
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Keep exploring
Free tools
- Supplier Lead Time Variance WorksheetCompare the lead time in your ERP with the last three actual receipts, and see the gap in days and percent. Export to Excel.
- Supplier Lead Time Variability Tracking WorksheetRecord the last three actual lead times per part and see average, worst case and the gap to the lead time in your item master.
- Safety Lead Time from Supplier Variability CalculatorSet safety lead time from the standard deviation of supplier lead time and a target service level, then see the carrying cost of that buffer.
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