Smart technology, like handheld scanners, can revolutionize inventory management and supply. This type of intelligent compact tool allows users to seek and find misplaced inventory in large factory settings. Original equipment manufacturers can perform regular inventory audits that will ensure system accuracy and give them confidence to never again have to perform physical inventory audits of their purchased parts inventories.
Smart technologies often evolve and make cool digital tools even more robust. In the case of automated supply chain management using a digital vendor managed inventory (VMI) platform like ShelfAware, adding additional tools like handheld devices can make simplifying a process even easier and more convenient.
By using the ShelfAware app (Android or Apple) in a handheld scanner, you can direct the app to do two unique things:
- Inventory Audits. Using the app with the handheld scanner, sales reps can easily perform accurate inventory audits for their customers in minutes. Performing inventory audits traditionally require days or weeks of heavy manpower to manually count all the small parts and components. By using the handheld scanner and mobile ShelfAware app, the sales reps can execute the entire audit in minutes. This allows for more frequent audits with no human error. In addition, the configuration and overhead are minimal.
- Seek and Find Feature. In traditional inventory management, if a part is misplaced it could be lost forever. With ShelfAware, a serial number of a particular part bag is tagged using RFID technology. Using the handheld scanner with the mobile app, the bag can be easily and quickly found as the scanner enters a “locate” function, in which it looks only for that specific bag or part. An audible beep will sound when the scanner is close (usually within 10 or 15 feet) to the item it’s searching.
Learn more about the handheld scanner and seek and find feature by watching this video.
How Automation Simplifies Inventory Audits
Audits are no fun, but they are necessary for any inventory management system. Complex supply chains can contain thousands of SKUs and often in huge facilities with hundreds of thousands of square feet of actual physical inventory.
Often, the inventory is wide-open with hundreds of users across multiple shifts interacting with the inventory—causing discrepancies in the data when managed traditionally.
With RFID smart labels attached to every inventory item, supplier sales representatives can perform accurate inventory audits at any time. Leveraging RFID technology allows for customization and accurate audits of complex supply chains in minutes.
ShelfAware, for example, places the duties of the complicated inventory audit on the shoulders of the suppliers and the sales reps, releasing manufacturers from the tedious task. A supplier or sales representative uses a handheld scanner that is powered by a simple-to-use mobile digital VMI app. There is no complicated scanner to handle.
Automate Your Supply Chain Today
Digitizing inventory doesn’t have to be an expensive or overwhelming task. In fact, with a platform like ShelfAware, suppliers and consumers can reduce their carbon footprint, make more money with less worries, and eliminate stockouts with an easy-to-manage, cloud-based digital vender management inventory system.
Try a digital VMI platform like ShelfAware for a sustainable solution to supply chain management.
Want to learn more about an affordable way to automate your supply chain? Request your free ShelfAware demo.
Too good to be true? ShelfAware is redefining the vendor-managed inventory industry. For this reason, we’re happy to talk to you about how our intelligent inventory platform can benefit your business. Contact us today for more information.
