supplychainpy

supplychainpy is a free, BSD-3-licensed Python library for supply-chain analysis, modeling and simulation. It suits commercial inventory and demand-planning analysts who work comfortably with Python and want decision-support calculations plus local reports. Its useful analytical range is offset by an early-development warning that makes it unsuitable for production operations.

Overview

The project, founded in 2016, focuses on exploring inventory policies and demand rather than replacing an operational inventory platform. Analysts can work from CSV or text files, Pandas DataFrames, or data brought through database ETL, a data API or an ORM such as SQLAlchemy. Compatibility with Pandas, Jupyter, Matplotlib, openpyxl and xlwings fits a familiar Python analysis workflow.

Installation is through pip or by cloning the source repository. The BSD-3 license permits broad use, but the maker says the library is in early development and that its API may change. That caveat matters for any workflow expected to remain stable or support business-critical processes.

Key features

Inventory analysis includes ABC XYZ classification, safety-stock calculations, reorder levels and economic order quantity. Service-level targets, safety-stock optimization and replenishment recommendations help turn the calculations into policy choices, making the library more useful for analysts evaluating how much to hold and when to reorder.

Forecasting provides simple exponential smoothing and Holt’s trend-corrected exponential smoothing. Those methods cover straightforward level and trend work, but ARIMA is still under development. Teams that require ARIMA now need another tool or a separate modeling workflow.

The reporting suite combines charts, tables, KPIs, inventory summaries and a recommendations feed. A natural-language bot can query the analysis, while configurable host and port settings allow the reports to run locally. This gives analysts a practical way to inspect results without creating every view themselves, although the reporting layer does not remove the project's production-readiness limitation.

Pricing

supplychainpy is free, with no trial period because the core offering is already free. The listed supplychainpy 0.0.5 plan costs free and is distributed as a source package through PyPI. There are no paid tiers, seat charges or usage quotas stated. It is therefore a good fit for individual analysts, students and teams prototyping inventory analysis, but the zero price does not imply production support or a stable API.

Platforms

The library is available as an API and supports Linux, macOS and Windows, with self-hosted deployment. Reporting instructions provide commands for all three desktop operating systems, and local hosting can use configurable host and port settings. Installation requires Python 3.5 plus dependencies including NumPy, Pandas, Flask and SciPy, so it is aimed at Python environments rather than a turnkey business application.

Who it's for

Choose it for commercial inventory and demand-planning analysis when your users are comfortable importing data, running Python code and interpreting supply policies. It is particularly suitable for exploratory work, notebooks, internal prototypes and analyst-led decision support. Avoid making it the foundation of a production service, and look elsewhere if ARIMA forecasting is a current requirement or if you need security and compliance commitments.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad inventory calculations: classification, safety stock, reorder levels and economic order quantity support several common planning decisions in one library.
• Action-oriented outputs: service-level targets and replenishment recommendations connect analysis with policy choices.
• Flexible inputs: CSV, text, Pandas DataFrames and database-fed ETL accommodate different analyst workflows.
• Free and permissively licensed: the 0.00 USD plan and BSD-3 license reduce entry and redistribution barriers.

Cons

• Not production-ready: the maker warns that the project is in early development and its API can change.
• Incomplete forecasting coverage: ARIMA remains under development.
• Python-centric setup: users must manage Python 3.5 and scientific-library dependencies rather than install a finished business system.
• No stated security or compliance claims: regulated or security-sensitive deployments lack documented assurances.

Alternatives

For a broader directory of inventory tools, see Inventory Optimization Software. Pick ZebraDesigner instead when you need barcode-label and tag design and printing across Android, iOS, web or Windows, with a free Essentials plan and trial. replenishment is another free Python package under the MIT license for a narrower replenishment-focused option.

Stockpyl suits users seeking a free, MIT-licensed open-source Python package with API and Linux support. Choose Creo for a paid, organizational design platform with floating licensing across web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Manhattan Active Inventory Replenishment is a paid API and web alternative. Bluemingo Production Planning & Scheduling, E2open Planning and GAINS are paid planning platforms with pricing handled through their sales teams.

Verdict

supplychainpy is a strong zero-cost choice for Python-literate analysts who need inventory calculations, basic forecasting and locally hosted reporting in one toolkit. Its main reason to choose it is the breadth of free, actionable analysis; its main reason to look elsewhere is the maker’s explicit warning that changing APIs make it unsuitable for production, compounded by unfinished ARIMA support.