Build to stock, or ''make to stock'', often abbreviated as ''BTS'' or ''MTS'', is a build-ahead production approach in which production plans may be based upon sales forecasts and/or historical demand. BTS is a usually associated with the industrial revolution

mass production Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch ...

techniques, where in anticipation of demand vast quantities of goods are produced and stocked in warehouses.

Overview

Build to stock is frequently considered as an appropriate solution for products where there are few product lines and long changeover times between costly products. Some firms build all their products to order while others build them to stock. Given the widespread proliferation of products, there are a number of manufacturers taking a hybrid approach, where some items are built to stock and others are built to order. Build to stock has been replaced in many industries by '' build to order'', where items are produced to specific sales orders.

References

Business terms Modes of production Supply chain management {{industry-stub