Specialized inventory management software can change the game for your business.
Every scrap yard and aggregate business has an inventory management system in place. But no two inventory systems are the same. The differences between the two systems can be more significant than their similarities.
Some businesses, for example, still rely on analog systems to track what they have on hand. In some contexts, this may work just fine. Small companies with just a few products may not need anything more complex.
But analog systems deliver far less valuable detail than a more sophisticated program. Plus, business owners who rely on pen and paper will never have up-to-date information. Instead, they must wait at least a few hours for someone to do a count and write a report.
A digital inventory management system designed for aggregate or scrap businesses is the best path forward. These custom programs offer highly specialized inventory management capabilities that can dramatically transform the way you do business.
Here are four specific benefits of investing in specialized inventory management software:
More detailed inventory management with “storage bin” functions.
A simple inventory management system allows you to keep track of product quantities—and little else. Unfortunately, it doesn’t provide any tools for keeping track of where your inventory is housed. Specialized inventory controls give you the power to take it one step further.
With a specialized inventory program, you can create “storage bins” representing different areas or locations throughout your property. For example, you might carry limestone and store it in three piles. You can then create a “storage bin” for each pile, allowing you to track your overall limestone inventory and quantity for each.
Plus, you can create custom labels and names for each bin. This level of customization makes it much easier to create an inventory system that works for you.
Smoother workflow with a specialized inventory system.
Storage bin functionality makes it easier to direct traffic flow around your property. Without this advanced inventory function, trucks might drive around a few times to find what they need. If a specific location doesn’t have enough product, the search for another pile may lead to confusion.
With a storage bin feature, you always know where your inventory is and how much you have in each location. As a result, you can let drivers know where to go—and exactly how much to pick up. This will save you from the frustration of watching trucks drive aimlessly around the yard—or backing up traffic. There will be far less confusion and fewer slowdowns, which means you can process more tickets every day.
Real-time data and up-to-the-minute knowledge of your stock.
Paper ticketing and analog systems can delay your access to a current inventory report. For example, if you need to cross-check dozens of tickets, it can take hours to generate the data you need now. This makes it difficult to know what you have on hand and the value of your current stock at any given moment.
Truck scale software with specialized inventory management functionality erases the processing and the wait time. In addition, your system updates every time you process a ticket. As a result, scale operators are just a few clicks away from an up-to-the-minute report of your inventory.
Long-term reporting and more valuable analytics.
Successful business owners rely on a wide range of reports to make important decisions regarding their business. Hyper specific metrics can provide great insight into a business’s profitability, efficiency, and success. But accessing that data can be difficult without a proper inventory system.
Specialized inventory software can make all the difference for scrap yard and aggregate business owners. With a dedicated program, leaders have access to specialized reports that will tell them what they need to know. They can also create custom reports to monitor specific trends or metrics over time. This in-depth insight into business metrics can give businesses a competitive advantage.
Good inventory management software can also track long-term trends for a certain product on a granular level. This makes it much easier for business owners to make purchasing, pricing, and stocking decisions regarding specific products.
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There’s one more benefit that has nothing to do with inventory and everything to do with convenience: remote access. Scaleit provides secure cloud storage to all its users so that you can pull reports and review data from anywhere. So whether you’re out of town or home for the night, you can easily take a look at the numbers.