3 Ways a Poorly Managed Inventory Can Ruin a Business

How hard is it to find stuff you put away? If your warehouse operations include paper tickets, spreadsheets, and manual ERP entries, we can answer that for you: too hard.

The Old Way

Many manufacturers are using outdated inventory tracking methods that make tracking and visibility impossible. More than half of manufacturers use five or fewer checkpoints primarily at the start (in-bound raw materials) and endpoints (finished goods leaving assembly), leaving “blind spots” in between.

What the Old Way is Costing You

Manual data entry makes room for errors and data gaps. Lack of inventory oversight is not just frustrating but has a significant impact on your company’s ROI.

Money budgeted for strategy and business development must be reallocated to correct errors and rectify supplier quality issues. According to Modern Materials Handling’s 2024 annual Industry Outlook survey, 45% of supply chain industry decision-makers want to automate within two years.

The growth of your enterprise is dependent on the health of your inventory management. Ignore that and risk your reputation, reliability, and profitability in the supply chain.

To avoid this risk, take a look at the three ways your poor inventory management system is scheming to ruin your business, and let the data speak for itself.

Cash Flow Crunch

Inefficiency is not just frustrating, it is costly. Businesses that fail to modernize their inventory management risk losing thousands or millions of dollars each year due to inefficiency.

Here are the costs of poor inventory management:

• Inventory bloat that accrues unnecessary storage costs.
• Rushed orders due to inaccurate inventory records.
• Stockouts resulting from poor inventory management.
• High operating costs because of inefficient processes.

The Effect on Profitability

These overhead costs chip away at your profitability and hinder your ability to allocate resources strategically. Allocating workers to find missing inventory or engage in manual processes increases costs. Meanwhile, money spent on correcting inventory errors could be reinvested into other business development efforts.

How Modern Mobility Solves This

Why settle for gaps in your inventory visibility when there is a solution that yields 99.9% inventory accuracy? Modern mobile barcoding allows data to be exchanged with your ERP system using a mobile device. This cuts costs and cuts time, optimizing warehouse operations.

The Cost of Not Modernizing

Manufacturers are working around the clock to stay abreast of supply chain industry trends. Automation, augmented technologies, A.I., and other modernization solutions are not going anywhere.

You can continue with paper-based processes, manual data entry, and sending your employees on hour-long hunts for mislabeled materials. And watch your competitors hire fewer people and get more done because they have automated their data collection.

The choice is yours. Remember, if your enterprise cannot handle the rising expectations of modern-day customers, another will.

Inefficiencies in Operations

Persistent stress creates persistent challenges. And the longer you allow an inefficient system to run, the more problems will compound.

Poor Labor Utilization

What is the consequence of inefficient management of inventory? Well, one significant consequence is poor labor utilization. Many warehouse managers send their staff on extensive hunts for materials, spending excessive time correcting misplaced items or performing unnecessary stock counts.

Here are some additional impacts on operations:

• Substandard production time
• Higher auditing time
• Lower productivity
• Reduced customer satisfaction

If your company is asking how to improve inventory management, gaining real-time tracking with mobile barcoding is the way to go. Consider the impact on manufacturing processes when raw materials are unavailable due to stockouts or delayed deliveries. Production schedules are disrupted, causing delays in order fulfillment, and tarnishing your reliability.

Rushed Orders

A good inventory management system allows for real-time updates when raw materials are running low or have gone bad. Mobile inventory technology can make that happen. Inaccurate data entries can force warehouse managers into making cost-intensive rush orders.

Here are additional negative impacts of rushed orders: 

• Increased likelihood of errors in order fulfillment
• Higher shipping costs due to expedited delivery methods
• Elevated stress levels among warehouse staff
• Reduced time for quality control checks
• Customer dissatisfaction and negative feedback

Rushed orders compound the challenges in inventory management and frustrate all parties involved in a rush order. The consequences of poor inventory management are limitless. And automation is vital.

Boyd Corporation: Inventory Transformation Case Study

Boyd Corporation is a manufacturing company that designs and manufactures advanced engineering materials. Before partnering with RFgen. Boyd had multiple enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems across their departments. There was poor communication between the various departments. This affected their inventory management and caused several bottlenecks in their processes.

Some of their challenges included:

• No real-time insight into their receiving, manufacturing, inventory management, or shipping.
• No centralized ERP system across departments resulting in labor inefficiency.
• Poor barcoding that resulted in data entry errors

RFgen mobile apps augmented Oracle’s capabilities to bridge functionality gaps and create end-to-end visibility throughout Boyd’s entire production line—a must-have since Boyd’s customers include military contractors with additional compliance requirements.

After partnering with RFgen, Boyd successfully implemented RFgen’s mobile barcoding solution for Oracle Cloud SCM. Boyd gained 24/7 real-time mobile inventory management with near-perfect inventory accuracy. The implementation radically improved Boyd’s inventory management system, while allowing them to preserve their unique legacy processes.

Some results included:

• Tailor-made solution for preserving legacy processes with custom data capture.
• Real-time inventory control and oversight for receiving, manufacturing, and shipping.
• Seamless integration with Oracle Cloud SCM

Missed Growth Opportunities

Too busy putting out fires to strategize for innovation and expansion? Another sly attempt your poor inventory management system is running to sabotage your business.

When you improve your inventory management, you also improve your opportunities for growth and expansion. Identifying specific areas of inconsistency in your inventory management is paramount for mastering supply chain best practices.

Here are four ways your poor inventory system will lead to missed growth opportunities: 

• A shift in focus from strategic planning to crisis management. 
• Inaccurate demand forecasting, which affects production planning and procurement decisions. 
• Inefficient warehouse operations result in longer lead times for order fulfillment.
• Reduced customer satisfaction and retention.

A mobile barcoding solution addresses each of these issues. Mobile barcoding exchanges information between activities (putting way, picking, etc.) on the shop floor to your ERP. With real-time inventory management, you can pivot from being reactive to proactive.

Automating your operations frees you up to

• adapt to changing market conditions,
• invest in business development efforts, 
• strengthen your employer brand, and
• scale your business operations. 

Mobile Barcoding: Not a Strategic Advantage ―A Prerequisite for Survival

Automation is not a luxury for manufacturers that can afford it, it is the new standard for maintaining profitability. The market is sailing towards automation and modernization at full speed. Those hesitant to jump aboard will drown. It takes pinpoint accuracy throughout production to compete in the supply chain. If you are ready to automate your inventory management, schedule a demo with one of our experts at RFgen Software today.