Frequently Asked Questions

repleno is suited for items that are used regularly and therefore reordered frequently, such as screws and anchors in the trades, cleaning supplies in hospitality, lubricants in the workshop, or copy paper in the office. For one-off purchases or project-specific materials, repleno is not the right fit.

repleno is a stock-driven replenishment system. It ensures that consumables in your business never run out. Instead of writing lists or forgetting orders, your team records consumption by scanning, and repleno takes care of reordering on time.

With repleno, your reordering runs practically on its own. You scan the barcode of an item when consuming it with your smartphone, enter the quantity, and the system handles everything else in the background: checking stock levels, bundling requirements, and ordering on time. This saves you paperwork, forgotten orders, and unnecessary trips, and your stock is always supplied.

You only need a smartphone or tablet with a camera, an internet connection, and once your item and supplier data.

No. Most businesses use their ERP for invoicing and planning, but the warehouse module is often too complicated for daily use. repleno is the lean alternative for your smartphone: record consumption in 5 seconds – without training or an IT project.

Supplier scanners are pure ordering tools – they only help you with manual reordering. repleno, on the other hand, is stock-managed: your team only records consumption, not the order.

That's what makes the difference:

• Automatic Reordering: repleno orders independently as soon as stocks become low – no manual action necessary.
• Digital Partial Stock Count: All receipts and issues are recorded, so you can often do stocktaking by random sampling instead of counting everything.
• Independent of Suppliers: repleno works with all suppliers, not just one.
• Full Control: You decide what is ordered automatically and what you want to check yourself.

In short: Supplier scanners digitize purchasing – repleno takes it one step further and automates purchasing.

repleno is not a Kanban system and does not support RFID processes. The software is designed for small businesses and trades that want to digitize their materials procurement independently of Kanban or RFID structures.

You take your smartphone, open the repleno app, and scan the barcode of the item before or after removal, enter the removed quantity, and save.

Anyone with a phone can use the app. Whether Android or iOS.

None of your employees order independently through repleno. repleno orders for you and your employees. Not too much and not too little - always just right!

You can choose for each item whether it should be automatically ordered by repleno from your suppliers, or whether it should be put on an order list when needed, which is sent to you once a day. This way you keep full control.

Of course! You can set up any supplier you want. Completely without restrictions.

Yes. You decide for each item yourself: order automatically or just put it on the digital order list that is sent to you once a day. Perfect for expensive items where you prefer to choose the cheapest supplier yourself.

Register, set up your company, add your suppliers and items, link them with barcodes, and then everything runs automatically.

Yes. But from experience: anyone who plans to introduce it "at some point on the side" often never does. It's best to block off a fixed time slot or assign someone in the business who takes one or two days for it. With the first 25 items you'll be ready to go in 3 hours. You build from there.

You're ready to go with the first items in under an hour. Setting up suppliers takes about 5 minutes per supplier, capturing items usually 2 to 3 minutes per piece.

You can use existing supplier barcodes or create your own. For custom barcodes, all you need is label sheets (from around $8 on Amazon) and a regular A4 printer. In repleno, you design the labels with the built-in Label Designer and print them as PDF. You just need to decide which label size fits your setup: small ones for containers, larger ones for shelves.

Yes. If you already have an item list — from Excel, your ERP, or a supplier portal — you don't have to start from scratch. Upload the CSV file, map the columns once, done.

For repleno to work in daily operations, your business needs five basics:

1. Structured storage
Your storage locations are labeled – e.g. A01-R03-C02 or Cable-Shelf-Left. Every spot has a unique identifier. Without structure, nobody knows where anything belongs.

2. Barcodes on items
Ideally, your suppliers' or manufacturers' packaging already has barcodes (EAN, GTIN). If not, you can print your own labels. Having barcodes already means a faster setup.

3. Item master data available
You know which items you stock – name, supplier, order unit. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the basics need to be there.

4. Smartphones with internet access
Your team needs smartphones at work to scan consumption via the app. Android or iOS, WiFi or mobile data – both work.

5. Regular material demand
You regularly reorder consumable materials. For one-time purchases or project-only materials, repleno doesn't add value.

How many points do I need?
The more you meet, the faster the setup. Points 1 and 4 are mandatory. If you meet all five, you're up and running in 1-2 hours. If your storage isn't structured yet: we help for free during onboarding.

Take the 3-minute check nowFree setup help

ZGREF stands for Zones, Gangways (Aisles), Racks, Elevations (Levels), Fields (Compartments) – the five levels of a storage structure. It's the standard system used to organize professional storage areas.

Why does it matter?
Without a clear structure, your team searches for material instead of working. With ZGREF, every item has a fixed place – and everyone knows where it is.

The 5 levels:

• Zone: Large area – e.g. Electrical, Plumbing, Tools
• Aisle: The pathway between racks – e.g. Aisle A, Aisle B
• Rack: A single shelf unit in the aisle – e.g. Rack 01, Rack 02
• Level: The height in the rack – e.g. Level 1 (bottom) to Level 4 (top)
• Compartment: The individual slot – e.g. Compartment 03

Example: Electrician storage
Zone Cable → Aisle A → Rack 02 → Level 3 → Compartment 05 = CA-A02-L3-C05
That's where you'll find e.g. NYM-J 3x1.5mm² cable. Everyone on the team finds it instantly.

How to get started?
Start with zones and racks. Levels and compartments can be added gradually. The most important thing: every spot gets a label.

Yes. First, consider where the label will go: box, container, shelf, or rail. This determines the size and readability you need. Then sign into repleno and pick a matching label format from the supported sizes (e.g. Avery Zweckform, HERMA). Create your design or use a template, and order the matching A4 label sheets in parallel. Then export all labels directly from the software as PDF and print them on your regular A4 printer. No external software needed.

You can make your storage repleno-ready yourself. Here's how:

Step 1: Assessment (30 min)
Walk through your storage and note what's where. Where is chaos? Where does it work? Take photos of the current state.

Step 2: Define zones (30 min)
Divide your storage into logical areas: e.g. Electrical, Plumbing, Tools, Consumables. Follow your trades or suppliers as a guide.

Step 3: Assign racks and compartments (1-2 hrs)
Give each rack and compartment an identifier. Use the ZGREF system: Zone-Aisle-Rack-Level-Compartment. Example: E-A01-R02-L3-C05.

Step 4: Label everything (1-2 hrs)
Stick labels on every rack and compartment. Use weatherproof labels or labeled tape. The identifier must be readable from 2 meters away.

Step 5: Place items and document (2-4 hrs)
Put materials in the right spots. Document: What's where? How much is there? This becomes your starting point for repleno.

Tip: Start with the area that causes the most chaos. You don't have to do everything at once – step by step is fine.

Need help? During onboarding, we help with storage organization for free.

Take readiness checkGet in touch

With repleno, stocktaking is greatly simplified. Your consumption is continuously recorded, so stock levels in the system are always up to date. At the end of the year, you no longer need to do a complete count, but only a reduced spot check or sample.

Yes. repleno documents every change in your stock levels without gaps and supports you with stocktaking. Important: You as the entrepreneur remain responsible for correct recording. If your team consistently records stock levels by scanning, you meet the legal requirements and are legally on the safe side.

Yes. repleno provides AI to its users where it makes processes faster, better, and simpler. repleno uses Mistral as its AI provider — a European company.

Yes. repleno offers stock management in every package. As soon as an item falls below the minimum stock, an order position is automatically created.

repleno runs exclusively on German servers. All data is stored and processed in compliance with GDPR. Changes (e.g., to items, barcode scans, orders) are logged so you always have full transparency.

No. repleno requires an internet connection, Wi-Fi or mobile data. Without a connection, neither lookups nor bookings are possible. An offline mode with sync on the next connection is planned.

Not yet. repleno is currently designed around a main stockroom. Vehicle stock and mobile inventory as dedicated location types are planned.

No. repleno runs as a cloud service. Updates, security patches, and backups are included.

We are a German company and offer German and English language support.

You can reach us anytime through our contact form - we respond within 24h. For emergencies also by phone.

Get in touch

repleno is from Bielefeld. Behind it is Christoph Kay. He spent five years as an electrician in industry and experienced firsthand how missing small parts slow down operations. Later he introduced digital procurement processes for large companies at P.S. Cooperation (Böllhoff Group). Today he is building repleno to make that accessible for small businesses too.

Large companies can afford powerful systems for their procurement. Small businesses face the same problems: stockouts, manual reordering, no transparency, but without the budget for enterprise software. repleno grew out of conversations with craftsmen and small business owners in Bielefeld who had exactly these problems. The goal: to show that warehousing does not have to be a necessary evil, but can be simple, intuitive, and even enjoyable.