Know the real stock first
Every other control depends on accurate counts. If stock is only corrected during a monthly count, every reorder decision in between rests on a guess. Capturing usage from the tests themselves keeps the number honest.
Set reorder points from usage and lead time
A reorder point is the stock level at which you must order so that the delivery arrives before you run out. It depends on how fast you use the item and how long the supplier really takes, not how long the quote says. Review both regularly, because both change.
Watch the days of stock left, not just the quantity
Fifty tubes means very different things at ten tests a day and at two hundred. Days of stock remaining, based on recent consumption, is the number that tells you how urgent an item is.
Make the warning reach the right person
An alert nobody sees is not an alert. Send critical shortages to the people who can act, through the channel they actually read, and let the rest wait in a daily summary.
Close the loop with the supplier
Track which suppliers deliver on time. When one repeatedly runs late, your reorder point must move earlier, or the supplier must change.
Common questions
Enough to cover the longest delay you have actually experienced with that supplier, balanced against shelf life. Items with short expiry need less safety stock, not more.
No. It points at what needs attention. A manager still decides, especially around seasonal demand and planned campaigns.