Managing inventory isn’t just about tracking numbers on a screen—it’s about having physical stock control over the flow of materials in and out of your business.
Imagine this: A project stalls because materials you thought were there disappeared. Someone grabbed them without logging it. The outcome? Delays, unhappy clients, and extra costs to replace missing items.
Controlling stock access is crucial for businesses in construction, fabrication, and manufacturing. Want to avoid extra costs and unhappy clients? Let’s explore how managing physical access can make all the difference.
Why Physical Stock Control Is a Big Deal
There is a reason the word ‘Control’ is central to stock control. Without physical control over your stock, no system can save you from missing items, delays, or miscalculations.
You don't have stock control if you don’t physically control your stock on hand. It’s that simple. Controlling stock means having measures in place to secure and track every item that comes in and out of your stock cage, warehouse, or storage room. Without this, businesses face:
- Inaccurate Stock Records: Missing items cause a gap between the physical inventory and the system data.
- Operational Delays: You might promise customers projects based on stock you don’t actually have.
- Extra Costs: Replacing untracked or stolen inventory significantly increases expenses.
The Benefits of Physical Stock Control
1. Save Money
Physical access control minimises risks like theft and mismanagement. Restrict stock access to authorised personnel and track all movements. This will keep your inventory secure. There is no need for urgent, one-off purchases with higher unit and landed costs.
3. Boosting Operational Efficiency
Controlled access keeps your operations running smoothly. It helps you: - Reduce downtime during stock takes.
- Avoid searching for misplaced items.
- Focus on growing your business instead of fixing inventory issues.
3. Reduce Guesswork
Modern tools, like barcoding and
multi-warehouse tracking, make stock management easier, especially when dealing with multiple locations.
The Benefits of Physical Stock Control
1. Automated Stock Tracking
WorkGuru automatically logs every stock movement—whether it’s a purchase, transfer, or usage in a project.
For instance, a construction business uses WorkGuru to track materials moving from warehouses to multiple sites. Each transaction is tied to a project, so nothing leaves the warehouse without accountability.
Pro Tip: WorkGuru’s kiosk feature with barcode scanning simplifies log stock movements. Staff scans items out as assigned to a project, leaving no room for "untracked" usage.
2. Real-Time Tracking
With WorkGuru, you to assign roles and permissions to ensure only authorised employees can:
- Access specific inventory areas.
- Adjust stock levels.
- Move stock between locations.
Pro Tip: Limit stock adjustments to trusted team members. This keeps data accurate and prevents misuse of the adjustment feature.
Steps to Get Access Control Right
Assess Your Current Setup
- Is your stock stored securely? Can anyone grab anything at any time?
- Are there clear roles for who can access or adjust the inventory?
Pro Tip: Assign a warehouse manager or stock controller to oversee the flow of goods. Their job is to ensure nothing leaves without being logged.
Develop Clear Workflows
- Assign a stock manager or name someone from your team responsible for inventory control.
- Implement a system. Use a purchase order for items entering. Use a transfer project, stock sale or production job for items leaving. This way, you will track all stock movements.
Train Your Team
- Teach your employees how to follow access protocols for better stock tracking.
- Assign clear responsibilities to build accountability and simplify workflows.
Case Study: Conveyor Belt Company’s Inventory Transformation
Conveyor Belt Company struggled with inaccurate stock records, causing delays, wasted resources, and unnecessary expenses. After adopting WorkGuru, they gained real-time visibility across multiple warehouses, ensuring every stock movement was tracked.
The impact?
A 50% reduction in stock errors, faster project completion, and significant cost savings.
If your current software is not cutting it, and you are considering making the switch, read the post about why
making the switch to WorkGuru can help boost your business operations.
Start Improving Your Physical Stock Control Today
Without physical stock control, managing inventory accurately is nearly impossible. Even with the advanced software, stock control starts in the real world. By combining physical access control with a system like WorkGuru, you’ll:
- Maintain accurate stock records.
- Avoid delays and unexpected costs.
- Keep your operations running smoothly.
🛒 Think of it like a supermarket: stock only leaves through a controlled process. With WorkGuru’s tools for permissions, tracking, and app integrations, you can bring the same level of control to your business.
Ready to Improve your physical stock control?
Try WorkGuru today!
