October 4, 2023
If your restocking hasn’t been able to keep up with the demand recently, it could be an indicator of the fact that your business has outgrown the current procedures. Any acceleration in this case is likely to cause errors in purchase orders, mis-shipments, wrong items landing on shelves, and overworked personnel as a major blowback. HandiFox Online offers 5 ways to go faster with inventory replenishment and receiving while also giving your workers more breathing room.
1. Set up replenishment triggers across all locations in advance
Once your inventory is imported into HandiFox Online, one of the first steps towards replenishment automation would be setting up reorder points and desired stock quantities. This way the software will know when to give you a heads-up way before item quantities fall below minimal levels. Go to Inventory->QOH Viewer->Reordering
Pick a site to make your reordering settings location-specific or choose “All” to set up replenishment triggers for all warehouses at once. Next, enter Reorder Point, Desired Quantity on Hand, Case Size (if you order by cases) and Reorder Rounding, if necessary.
And that’s when standardized and centralized procurement begins and over- and understocking ends.
2. Take advantage of replenishment shortcuts
The Items to reorder window on the main Dashboard provides the most up-to-date information on low stock items based on the pre-set reorder points. By clicking on the cart icon you will be taken to Automatic Replenishment. This functionality is also available under Purchases.
If you want to address the software’s low stock warning immediately, pick “Reorder Point & Desired quantity on hand” and click Show items. Mark the ones you want to include in a replenishment PO and click Create 1 PO. If vendors for some items differ the software will generate multiple POs.
Alternatively, you can restock based on sales data for a selected period - the app will factor in the total sold or average sales.
To learn how many weeks your current quantity on hand will last, click on the “Quantity on hand forecasting per sales rate” report.
If you’re new to automation and would like to take it slowly, just use this data to inform your decision-making. With time, the software will have collected sufficient sales data to make the suggestions you can fully trust.
3. Use a barcode scanner for entry and item verification
Barcoding lays the groundwork for increased accuracy and operational speed at every key stage of the supply chain pipeline - from the moment products get ordered from a supplier through receiving and packing them for shipment to a client.
You can scan products’ barcodes right into a new PO in either web or mobile app, saving time on data entry and verification.
If someone tries to add a wrong item by accident the software brings up a warning message.
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4. Generate POs and send them out from a mobile phone
When there’s a lot going on and most of it happens on the move, there’s no better way to address this than to exploit the functionality of a mobile inventory app. With the HandiFox Online mobile apps (Android and iOS) you can generate POs whenever there’s a need and without rushing to your laptop. In the iOS app, go to Purchases, tap on “+”, choose Vendor and start scanning in items or tap on “+” and find them through the lookup field. Then, enter quantities, check the shipping address and fill out the memo, if needed. Tap on “✓” to save the PO. The Purchases tab will show your newly created PO. Tap on it to edit, receive, close, print out, or share as a pdf.
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When a long lead time cuts into your productivity, it’s essential to get the process going as soon as possible. The HandiFox mobile app does exactly that.
5. Receive POs from a mobile phone or batch-receive from the web
During peak seasons, high-volume receiving days always come before high-volume fulfillment and shipping weeks. Mobile apps paired with a barcode scanner are invaluable in helping warehouse workers stay focused and go fast. To receive a PO in the HandiFox mobile app on iOS devices, go to Purchases, tap on a PO and choose Receive. Scan products to make sure it’s what you ordered and the quantities are correct.
If you need to check in multiple POs, you can batch-receive them in the web app. Go to Purchases-> “+”-> Item receipt. Mark the POs for the selected vendor on the right and start scanning the items.
Automated purchasing and receiving are ideal for balancing the need for speed and accuracy at the same time. It also allows small business owners to cut down on man/hours in the warehouse. Take a free 14-day trial and role-play a few of your standard purchasing and receiving scenarios to evaluate the effect.