There is no room for error for manufacturers. Dozens of things have to go right on a manufacturing line to end up with a great final product, not to mention the supply chain and distribution system. There are many places where something bad can happen.
What do manufacturers use inventory barcode software for?
Many manufacturers use inventory barcode software to track their inventory quantities, keep risks to a minimum, and make sure that they do not experience unnecessary delays. Inventory barcode software improves many aspects of manufacturing, by letting manufacturers quickly scan products and parts in and out of their warehouses. Inventory barcode software also helps manufacturers optimize their warehouse organization, locate items, and manage inventory in multiple locations.
Let’s explore each of these points mentioned above in greater detail to really see how inventory barcode software helps manufacturers with day-to-day operations:
Track inventory quantities
With the scan of a barcode, manufacturers can see a huge amount of information on a part or product. Among this information, they will find the total quantity currently in stock. They can use that information to judge whether or not they have the ideal quantity in stock, if they should order more to increase it, or order less in the future in order to avoid having such a big overstock. Inventory barcode software helps you generate detailed reports on past sales and orders, so that you will be able to tell the maximum and minimum number of a certain item that would be best for you to keep on hand at any given time. All of this is invaluable in the effort to track all of your inventory quantities and much more.
Keep risks to a minimum
When you record information about your inventory with a pen and paper, or in an Excel spreadsheet, you run the risk of making small but serious mistakes. You might get a single digit wrong when entering the products’ cost or when entering their lot numbers, expiration date,s or other important information. Using inventory barcode software virtually eliminates the risk of such errors, by filling in all of that information for you. You just scan an item’s barcode and all of the correct information will be there waiting for you in the software system. There is no automation with a pen and paper, but there is most definitely an opportunity to automate with a software solution that utilizes barcode scanning.
Eliminate unnecessary delays
What is an unnecessary delay? It is anything that could have been prevented with a little extra forethought and effort. Running out of raw materials is certainly a big cause of unnecessary delays. You can greatly reduce the number of times that you run out of essential materials for the manufacturing process by using inventory barcode software to set up automatic reorder points. Automatic reorder points keep your inventory in equilibrium between the extremes of too many and too few items. This both eliminates unnecessary delays in the manufacturing process, saves on carrying costs, and increases your overall efficiency and flexibility to meet demand.
Optimize warehouse organization
There is more to warehouse organization than simply finding spots to put your raw goods and finished products. You can majorly decrease the amount of time it takes to pick items to fulfill work orders and sales orders if you analyze your warehouse layout and restructure it to put similar items next to each other. This also helps with the receiving process because those items will likely be ordered together. You can even store items that are in high demand closer to the receiving area, and make many other improvements to optimize warehouse organization with the help of inventory barcode software.
Locate items in the warehouse
When you scan a barcode, the barcode scanner hunts through your inventory records and it locates the item in your inventory that corresponds with that barcode. It does this in a fraction of a second, so it appears to be instantaneous. Then it tells you the location and sub-location that you have previously set up for that item. This allows you to go directly to the designated spot in the warehouse where that item should be. If you are picking items for an order, you can create a batch pick so you do not have to keep going back and forth in your warehouse, but you can simply do one pass-through to get all of the items you need for multiple orders.
Manage inventory across multiple locations
Speaking of locations and sub-locations, you do not have to limit yourself to a single warehouse in your inventory barcode software. You can create as many locations and sub-locations as you like, and then track inventory levels in each one. This makes it easier to spot trends by location and transfer items from one location to another, as needed.
Barcodes and a bill of materials
At the start of a manufacturing job, inventory barcode software automatically generates bills of materials, work orders and other documents that speed up the manufacturing process. Manufacturers can then use barcodes and scanners to collect the parts on their bill of materials and put together a product according to the work order’s specifications. In fact, most of the logistical work is done automatically by inventory barcode software.
How barcodes help with shipping and more
When a product is finished and ready to be delivered to a customer, inventory barcode software lets the manufacturer generate a barcode for the product, print shipping labels, and track its progress on the way to its final destination.
Inventory barcode software can help you, whether you are a manufacturer, retailer, wholesaler or any other kind of business.