Material management is the process of operating, controlling, and regulating the flow of materials from the point at which they are initially acquired through internal operations to the point at which they are serviced through the process of distribution, often known as “inventory.”

Material Management is essential in both clinical and household settings in order to ensure an adequate stock of required items for a continuous supply, to avoid the excess stock, to have appropriate storage, easy retrievability, and distribution to the point of usage whenever it is required, and effective and efficient utilization of any available resources.