Rapid Inventory®
Rapid Inventory® is ALMAX’s forward-stocking program: you commit to a blanket quantity, we build it in our own factory, stock it in Kirkland, Washington, and release it as you call for it. Your 100% custom keypad reorders in days — no new build, no ocean crossing, no customs between your call and your dock.
ISO 9001:2015 · ISO 13485 · IATF 16949 · 100% ALMAX-owned manufacturing
The problem it removes
A custom keypad has no substitute. When the reorder is late, the line stops; when it is early, the cash sits in a warehouse. Most custom-HMI suppliers give you two choices: wait out the build and the ocean every time, or carry a year of stock yourself. Rapid Inventory is the third choice — ALMAX carries the stock, in the United States, against a quantity you have already committed to.
How it works
| Step | What happens | Where |
| 1. Commit | You place a blanket order for an agreed quantity of your qualified part | Your desk |
| 2. Build | ALMAX manufactures the full quantity in our own 100% ALMAX-owned plant — same drawing, same line, same test as every ALMAX part | Zhuhai, China |
| 3. Stock | Finished, inspected parts ship to ALMAX’s U.S. logistics center and are lot-tracked with manufacturing dates | Kirkland, Washington |
| 4. Release | You call for the quantity you need; it ships from Kirkland on demand | Your U.S. dock |
What “days” means. Parts ship on demand — you request a release, we ship it. There is no release window to wait out, because the part already exists, is already inspected, and is already in the country. No build, no cure, no ocean, and no customs between your call and your dock.
Who it is built for
- Production lines that cannot stock out. The keypad is on the critical path, and a late reorder is a gap in your shipments.
- Service and replacement parts. Field units need the same custom part for years after the production run; a shelf in Kirkland beats a minimum-run reorder.
- Procurement cutting lead-time risk. One blanket order replaces four expedited reorders and the freight that goes with them.
- Programs with lumpy demand. Release 200 this month and 1,200 next month against the same blanket quantity.
Who it is not for. A part still changing revision. Rapid Inventory stocks a qualified, frozen design; we move a program into it after first article, not before. A part that reorders once a year in a single lot may not need it either — build-to-order is cheaper for that pattern, and we will say so. And customers outside the United States: Rapid Inventory is a U.S.-only program; international programs run build-to-order, shipped direct from our factory.
What you get — and what you commit to
| You get | You commit to |
| Custom parts on a U.S. shelf, shipped on demand | A blanket quantity of a qualified, revision-frozen part — no minimum quantity, no minimum term |
| Lot numbers and manufacturing dates on every release, and one purchase order in place of many reorders | Taking the full blanket quantity, released on your schedule |
| Freight from Washington, not from Asia | A design that has passed first article — Rapid Inventory stocks a frozen revision |
Why only ALMAX can offer this
Rapid Inventory works because of three things most custom-HMI suppliers do not have at the same time:
- An owned factory. Our plant builds to our schedule, not a subcontractor’s queue, so a blanket quantity can be produced ahead of demand at production cost.
- A U.S. logistics center. ALMAX’s logistics center in Kirkland, Washington receives, lot-tracks, stores, and ships — and holds the paperwork that regulated programs ask for.
- U.S. engineering on the same team. Design, engineering, and program management in Carefree, Arizona and Kirkland handle the revision control that keeps stocked parts current.
Trade-off, stated plainly: a blanket order is a commitment to take the quantity you order. There is no minimum, but Rapid Inventory earns its keep on parts with a run rate, not on a one-time buy.
FAQ’s
Is Rapid Inventory a catalog of stock parts?
No. Every part in the program is a custom part designed for one customer. Rapid Inventory stocks your part.
What is the minimum commitment?
There is no minimum blanket quantity and no minimum term. You commit to the quantity that fits your part and your release pattern; ALMAX builds it and stocks it.
How fast is a release?
Parts ship on demand from Kirkland, Washington, as you request them. The part is already built, inspected, and in the country, so a release is a shipment, not a build.
Can I combine it with a new program?
Yes — most programs run build-to-order through samples and first article, then move into Rapid Inventory once the run rate is known.
Is Rapid Inventory available outside the United States?
No. Rapid Inventory is a U.S.-only program: stock in Kirkland, Washington is released to customers in the United States. International customers are served build-to-order with direct shipment from our factory.