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 usually associated with the

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

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

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 Build to Order (BTO: sometimes referred to as Make to Order or Made to Order (MTO)) is a production approach where products are not built until a confirmed order for products is received. Thus, the end consumer determines the time and number of ...

'', where items are produced to specific

sales order {{onesource, date=December 2018 The sales order, sometimes abbreviated as SO, is an order issued by a business or sole trader to a customer. A sales order may be for products and/or services. Given the wide variety of businesses, this means that t ...

References

Business terms Production and manufacturing Supply chain management {{industry-stub