Lead times

Lead-time templates define the shipment stages and expected duration for stock moving from a vendor to your warehouse or FBA fulfillment center. Each stage has a name, duration in days, and optional destination. Templates are reusable across vendors and purchase orders.

In this guide:

• Create a lead-time template
• Edit and manage templates
• Assign templates to vendors
• Use templates in purchase orders

Step 1: Create a lead-time template

Go to SUPPLY CHAIN → Lead Times in the sidebar. Click Add Lead Time to start a new template.

You can create a template from scratch or copy an existing one. To copy an existing template, click Copy from existing lead time and select the template to duplicate. Modify the copied stages and settings as needed.

Fill in:

• Lead Time Name — a descriptive name (e.g., “US Supplier (30 days via LA Port)”).
• Status — Active or Inactive (determines if this template is available for use).
• Assign to Vendors — optionally select vendors to assign this template (see Step 3 for details on making it their default).
• Shipping stages — add one or more stages:
  • Stage name — the name of this stage (e.g., “Production”, “In-transit”, “Warehouse”, “FBA”).
  • Duration (days) — how long this stage typically takes.
  • Destination — the arrival point for this stage (available only for Warehouse and FBA stages). Choose your warehouse or Amazon fulfillment center.

The template’s total duration is calculated as the sum of all stage durations. Once saved, the template appears as a card on the Lead Times page.

Step 2: Edit and customize templates

On a template card:

• Edit — modify the template name, status, stages, or durations. (Note: editing a template does not change vendor assignments; you manage assignments separately in Step 3.)
• Delete — remove the template.

For a specific purchase order, you can also customize the lead time at creation:

1. When creating a PO, the vendor’s default lead time is pre-selected.
2. Click Edit to customize the stages and durations for this PO only.
3. The customization is saved as part of that PO and doesn’t affect the vendor’s template.

Step 3: Assign templates to vendors

There are two steps to make a lead-time template available to a vendor:

Assign the template:

• When creating a new template, use the Assign to Vendors field to select vendors (optional).
• When editing an existing template, you cannot modify its vendor list; to assign it to additional vendors, use the vendor’s detail page.

Set as the vendor’s default:

• Go to the vendor’s detail page.
• Open the Lead Times tab.
• Find the template card and click Set as default.

The vendor will then use this template automatically when creating new POs. A vendor’s detail Lead Times tab shows all assigned templates.

Step 4: Use templates in purchase orders

When creating a PO:

1. Select a vendor (which has a default lead time).
2. The template is pre-filled in the Lead Time field.
3. Select the destination (warehouse or FBA) from those defined in the template.
4. Hilal derives the PO’s stages and expected delivery date from the template.

If needed, click Edit to customize the lead time for this PO only.

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