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Go Mobile and Reduce Warehouse Inventory System Costs


Every manufacturer and wholesale distributor has a warehouse. And in every warehouse is a warehouse inventory system. It is the lifeline between the receiving, picking, packing, and shipping areas. [caption id="attachment_5410" align="alignright" width="150"]scanning-in-the-warehouse By improving mobility in the warehouse, your business can benefit from improved operations and efficiency, ultimately trimming costs in every sector of your warehouse.[/caption] A warehouse inventory system doesn’t just contain vital information about raw materials, products, and shipments. When automated and accessible via mobile computers, it can also integrate with your warehouse management system, providing real-time information about where items are stored, how many items you have in stock, and at what stage they are in fulfillment. It also provides visibility across the supply chain so you can track and trace products to ensure compliance with industry and governmental regulations.

Don’t be “that guy.”

Having immediate access to product and customer records in your warehouse inventory system can make or break your bottom line. Why?
  • Every minute counts. You know the drill. Materials constantly move inside and out of a warehouse while waiting to be assembled or shipped. If this process isn’t efficient or accurate, you lose the ability to compete. Longer cycle times, higher workforce costs, and increased errors will eat away at profits while impacting relationships with vendors.
  • Paper slows fulfillment. Every item has a place, and you should be able to find it there. Right? Wrong. Sometimes pickers spend unnecessary time searching for items that someone incorrectly stored or moved. They traverse the warehouse floor, paper in hand, seeking to find the “missing” items. Meanwhile, the cost clock keeps ticking as they shuffle from shelf to shelf and watch efficiency run out the door.
  • Downtime is a game changer. You can’t make money when products or materials sit on shelves. Likewise, you can’t sell items if you don’t have them in stock. Instead, you incur additional storage costs and waste valuable square footage when you have over-stocked products. You also experience dreaded downtime when you can’t fulfill orders. Either way, you’re in trouble.

Warehouse mobility improves profitability.

When incorporating mobile devices in the warehouse, you can realize immediate results. Gone are costly bottlenecks and downtime. They are replaced by more efficient turnaround times and streamlined order fulfillment in every operational area including receiving, quality control, put away, replenishment, picking, packing, and shipping. By making workers more mobile, you can:
  • Drive productivity, save time, and increase the number of orders each worker can fill by providing instant access to real-time data. Simply send orders directly to workers’ devices, rather than print them on paper. And, print labels on demand at the point of application to minimize walking time and errors.
  • Ensure order accuracy and reduce incorrect picks by enabling workers to scan each item’s barcode as they pick.
  • Speed inventory picking and put-away processes using mobile devices that direct workers – via text or voice software – to specific items on the shelf. And, you can trust that the items will actually be where they are supposed to with an automated inventory system.
  • Make cycle counts faster and more accurate by ensuring the warehouse inventory system is continually updated. No more inventory that lasts days or even weeks. Now employees have easy access to real-time data to make more informed purchasing and other business decisions.
  • Avoid downtime or delays by getting workers immediate answers to their questions and automatically replenishing stock as needed using voice communications.
  • Reduce inventory overages, thanks to faster, more accurate cycle counts and historical data upon which to make buying decisions. Reducing overstock decreases needed warehouse space, as well as inventory storage costs.

Save. Compete. Win.

There are varying degrees of warehouse mobility to accommodate a variety of just-in-time (JIT) inventory practices. Common solutions include:
  • Mobile computers combine scanning and processing functions into a single device that fits perfectly in your hand. Durable and powerful, mobile computers come in a variety of models for nearly every environment, including ones with hazardous conditions and extreme temperatures.
  • Wearable mobile computers outfitted with voice-enabled picking solutions streamline warehouse inventory system processes. Easy to use, they enable true hands-free operations that lead to maximum productivity.
  • Vehicle-mounted computers are rugged workhorses that travel where needed via forklifts and carts. This makes it easier for operators to be productive, while also ensuring their safety.
  • Mobile printers enable you to print labels where and when you need then. Workers won’t waste time running back and forth to pick up printed labels. Instead, they can print and apply labels of all types and sizes on demand at the point of application.
Discover how you can reduce costs and improve productivity with a warehouse inventory system and mobile devices from System ID.