Inventory automation
Inventory automation:
- Goods in retail or wholesale stores
- Finished products at factories
- Raw materials at manufacturing firms
- Inventory of equipment (fixed assets, tools, equipment etc)
The most popular method of inventory automation is based on the barcodes. This is rather simple and reasonable technology that enables to implement the system step-by-step. All the piece goods should be marked with barcode. If there is no barcode on the product, self-adhesive labels are printed with the help of label printer. Barcode scanners and data terminals are used for reading.
Manual inventory – copying of products into registering books and journals. Entering of data about remains into the computer is first of all inefficient and unreliable process that takes a lot of time. The operator can enter wrong information unintentionally as well as on purpose. Usage of data terminals enables to automate recalculation operation as well as data input into the computer. In order to prevent malfunction of products scanning procedure, selective inventory of different product categories is necessary to be carried out. Besides, the following method is used: two employees perform consecutive or opposite scanning to check the data in the general database.
Integrating scales. If large amount of piece goods (hard components, fittings, workpieces, tools, radio details) is to be inventoried, then integrating scales should be used.
Hard components: bolts, screws, self-attack screws and washers. Furniture or sewing fittings. Workpieces: small details at different enterprisers. Tools and details: drills, cutters, bushes. With the help of integrating scales, small items can be counted promptly. Tasters are weighted, the one item weight is determined, the package tare is subtracted and then products are weighed. With the help of connection between the scales and the computer, weighing data entering can be automated.
Catchweight goods. Catchweight goods inventory is difficult process for all the enterprises without exception. The reasons are natural losses, for example, flowing down of liquid during defrosting of raw materials or products, loss of weight with keeping and personnel abuses such as stealing or intentional re-grading. Relying on our experience we can claim: if at foodstuff production factories someone begs the question about mass scales disrepair, it usually means that someone stole something.
Catchweight goods inventory can be automated with the help of the connection between the scales and the computer with simultaneous transmitting of weighing results to the accounting program and video surveillance system. Video surveillance shouldn’t be simple, but with fixation of products weight, product title, and document number. Only such a system enables to automate catchweight goods inventory as well as control over data entering accuracy. Barcode weighing marking is used for package weighing inventory. When barcode on the package is scanned, its weight is registered in the database automatically and the general product mass is calculated.
