Chapter 5 · Part II
What Is Forward Deployed Inventory, Really?
Forward deployed inventory is not just inventory outside a warehouse. It is inventory intentionally positioned within a market so availability can materially change the outcome.
The Shift from FDI to FDIS
Define the environment before you manage it.
Chapter 5 establishes what forward deployed inventory is, why proximity changes the management problem, and how market-level purpose, custody, access, and recoverability reshape planning decisions.
Market positionForward means close enough in time to support the point of use or delivery.
Purpose shiftThe item keeps its core function while gaining a readiness role inside the market.
Distributed controlSmaller locations and mixed custody require different control and accountability practices.
Optimization reframedThe question becomes market capability and outcome, not location-by-location consumption alone.
Read the chapter
Understand FDI before building FDIS.
Download the complete Chapter 5 PDF or read it online to continue through the proposed book, The Forward Deployed Inventory System.