Glossary

What is Working Capital (in Inventory)?

Last updated July 2026

Definition

Working capital is the cash tied up in day-to-day operations. For distributors, inventory is usually its single largest component, which is why freeing inventory frees cash.

Every dollar removed from excess inventory is a dollar returned to working capital — available to fund growth, pay down debt, or improve return on invested capital.

The goal is to release that cash without hurting service: cut the SKUs that never sell, not the ones customers count on.

See what your inventory is really costing you.

Tell us where the cash is trapped — excess stock, idle surplus, slow RFQs — and we'll show you the outcome Maintained can unlock.