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Lead times

Understanding Lead Times in Tightly

Updated over 2 months ago

Tightly is designed to help you manage and customize your lead times effectively, based on your suppliers and specific needs. It offers a flexible system with three levels of lead times that you can adjust to suit your workflow. Below, we’ll break down how these lead times work, the order in which they’re applied, and how to update them.

Levels of Lead Times

  1. Global Lead Time

    • What it is: This is the default lead time applied across the board.

    • When it’s used: If you haven’t set up more specific lead times (at the supplier or SKU level), the global lead time kicks in.

    • Best for: Businesses with consistent lead times for all suppliers and products.

    • How to update: Go to Settings -> Preferences -> Adjust the global lead time as needed.

  2. Supplier-Level Lead Time

    • What it is: A lead time set specifically for an individual supplier.

    • When it’s used: This overrides the global lead time if you’ve configured it for a supplier.

    • Best for: When certain suppliers have unique delivery schedules or timelines that differ from your default.

    • How to update: Navigate to Suppliers -> Click Edit -> Select Edit Lead Times to set or adjust the supplier-specific lead time.

  3. Supplier/SKU Lead Time

    • What it is: The most detailed option—lead time set for a specific supplier and a specific product (SKU).

    • When it’s used: This takes priority over both supplier-level and global lead times when defined.

    • Best for: Situations where lead times vary not just by supplier, but by individual products.

    • How to update: Go to Suppliers -> Select the SKU/Product -> Click on Edit -> Select Lead Time to define or modify the lead time for that specific supplier and SKU.

How Tightly Prioritizes Lead Times

Tightly follows a simple hierarchy to decide which lead time to apply. It checks the following in this order:

  1. Supplier/SKU Lead Time

    • If a lead time is set for a specific supplier and SKU, Tightly uses this. It’s the most precise option.

  2. Supplier-Level Lead Time

    • If no Supplier/SKU lead time exists, Tightly looks for a lead time set for the supplier.

  3. Global Lead Time

    • If neither of the above is configured, Tightly falls back to the global lead time.

This priority system ensures you can get as specific as needed while keeping a reliable default in place.

Why It Matters

With Tightly, you have the flexibility to tailor lead times to your business’s unique needs—whether that’s a single catch-all time, supplier-specific adjustments, or detailed product-level control. Editing these settings lets you stay aligned with your suppliers and keep your operations running smoothly.

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