Obsolete Inventory (redirected from Excess inventory)

Obsolete Inventory

Term that refers to inventory that is at the end of its product life cycle and has not seen any sales or usage for a set period of time usually determined by the industry. This type of inventory has to be written down and can cause large losses for a company.

Also referred to as "dead inventory" or "excess inventory".

Notes:

Large amounts of obsolete inventory are a warning sign for investors: they can be symptomatic of poor products, poor management forecasts of demand, and poor inventory management. Looking at the amount of obsolete inventory a company creates will give investors an idea of how well the product is selling and of how effective the company's inventory process is.

See also: Carrying Cost Of Inventory, First In, First Out - FIFO, Industry, Inventory, Last In, First Out - LIFO, LIFO Liquidation, Write-Down