Patent ID: 8620776

Claim:
A computer-implemented method, comprising: retrieving, by at least one computing device, a defect history associated with a vendor and at least one product from an inbound shipment from a memory, the at least one product to be stocked in a materials handling facility, the defect history being associated with a specified time period; extracting, by the at least one computing device, at least one inventory defect from the defect history in the at least one computing device; calculating, by the at least one computing device, an inventory defect rate in the at least one computing device for the specified time period; weighting, by the at least one computing device, the at least one inventory defect based on a weighting factor based at least in part upon: a remediation cost associated with a type of the at least one inventory defect, a scarcity of the at least one product associated with the at least one inventory defect, duration of business relationship with the vendor, whether the vendor has promised to correct the at least one inventory defect, and whether the inventory defect rate associated with the vendor over a previous specified time period meets a specified threshold; assigning, by the at least one computing device, at least one weighted value to the at least one inventory defect wherein calculating the inventory defect rate further comprises calculating a weighted rate from the at least one weighted value assigned to the at least one inventory defect; imposing, by the at least one computing device, at least one remedial measure if the inventory defect rate meets the specified threshold of the inventory defect rate, wherein the inventory defect rate is associated with the vendor and the at least one remedial measure is imposed on the vendor, the at least one remedial measure comprising generating a warning message including information describing the at least one inventory defect, the information including at least one of an inventory defect type, a date, or a vendor identifier associated with the vendor; imposing, by the at least one computing device, at least one additional remedial measure including lowering the specified threshold for a subsequent time period; generating, by the at least one computing device, a corrective message, the corrective message instructing how the at least one inventory defect can be corrected; and transmitting, by the at least one computing device, the warning message to the vendor and the corrective message to personnel in the materials handling facility.