As the economy worsens, more companies realize their survival depends on cost reductions and productivity improvements.
When a Charlotte-based company was referred to A3 Technologies, they already knew what their problem was but didn’t have a solution.
Still tracking materials with Excel spreadsheets, they realized that entering part numbers and quantities manually was creating errors in their inventory; but was the error in the warehouse count or in the data entered manually into the spreadsheet? They had tried to use a barcode system in the past but it was too complex and cumbersome.
Engineers from A3 Technologies proposed a simple, phased barcode system with basic error-checking software. The first goal was to print and scan barcode labels on the shelves to eliminate the manual entry of part numbers and locations. The entire system was implemented over a weekend to minimize disruption in the warehouse.
Results were seen in the first two weeks when QA recognized that the right part numbers were consistently being moved. Now, were the quantities correct?
With the wireless system operational and with access to real-time data, the quantity entered manually was verified against the quantity in that stock location. While a worker could still enter a "5" instead of a "7", they couldn’t move 50 when only 10 were in stock. And since the employee ID of the warehouse worker was tied to each transaction record, it turned out that a small number of users with poor math skills were responsible for most of the errors.
The lesson learned - an inventory control system doesn’t have to be complex, all-inclusive, and expensive to simply reduce errors and improve accountability. You can start with a simple component, realize the benefits, and add on when the time is right.
Call A3 Technologies - let us help implement a system like that for you.
For more information:
Shalonda Williams, A3 Technologies
Tel: (704) 708-8100
Fax: (704) 708-8557
Email: sales@a3-tech.com
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