Following the emergence of the COVID pandemic, the architectural, woodworking, and furniture industries experienced fluctuations in the supply chain. While some businesses thrived, some collapsed to ruin because of inventory challenges arising when running multiple projects simultaneously. To prevent the recurrence of such situations, woodworking companies are looking for inventory management systems that can make the workplace more efficient.
This post covers the management problems that threaten the inventory of woodwork factories and how technology can help resolve those issues.
1. Low Accuracy of Inventory
One of the factors that affect the visibility of inventory is not knowing your inventory. This can lead to devastating consequences to the supply chain because it’s possible to make mistakes like buying new materials before your current ones are exhausted. Another potential challenge is restocking products that don’t get used for a project.
This means you should keep an organized record of the stock you have available to avoid causing supply-chain problems that can make inventory less visible. With some help from an automated inventory system, you can keep an accurate record of the materials you need. This will help you make better decisions when considering restocking.
As a result, you won’t have to struggle to maintain the visibility of your woodwork materials.
2. Insufficient Order Management
Poor management of inventory orders is another problem that can add stress to your woodwork project. First, you need to know the number of items available within each category at all times. This might sound tedious, but it’s the only way to prevent situations like running out of basic materials. You don’t want to run out of a crucial component while the project is underway.
So, you’ll want to get inventory management software to keep track of the woodwork products you have available. This means that you can always restock your inventory before it runs out, preventing an imbalance in the supply chain, which could delay your woodworking projects.
3. Overstocking
Accumulating too much of a particular item can also wreak havoc on your inventory management practices. Sometimes, you could notice a basic material required for multiple projects and decide to restock with more than enough of the same. Unfortunately, such practices could leave you with a ton of unnecessary inventory.
This issue is problematic because it encourages wastage of storage space with redundant items, not to mention the unnecessary depletion of precious case reserves. Fortunately, this never has to happen since you can avoid it with some assistance from an efficient management software that can keep track of materials to help you make safer investments.
Otherwise, you can end up accumulating an inventory of unusable items that translate to losses for your business. Without overstocking, you can rest assured that the required materials are accessible for the project, which will reduce inventory invisibility.
4. Poor Production Planning
Something else that can make your inventory less visible is poor production planning. This is characterized by delays in the woodworking process and overflowing material costs. Without clear sight of what the project requires, you can accumulate inventory that won’t be used.
That is why it’s crucial to plan out every step of the woodworking process to ensure you gather all the materials you need before the project begins.
With inventory management software, you can keep a clear record of what you need before kicking off on a woodworking project. This can help managers create a productive project schedule that won’t allow for financial bleeds due to poor planning.
5. Redundant Processes
Your woodworking company could also be facing challenges arising from redundant processes in the execution of your projects. Steps like manual inventory counting have slowly become outdated and unnecessary. Funding such activities won’t only be a waste of finances but also an error-prone process leading to other woodwork inventory issues.
Instead of compromising the accuracy of the inventory keeping system by maintaining redundant processes, you can start using barcode systems and automatic cycle counts to make it easier. This will help you allocate resources with more precision, leading to streamlined project operations.
Automating various management practices will help maintain an error-free working environment which can help increase productivity.
Additionally, a management system for woodwork industries can show you the projects that need a larger labor force than others. As a result, you can reorganize your employees according to the projects that require their skills the most.
6. Inadequate Training for Staff
Lastly, we’ll discuss the lack of proper training for the employees. Even with the best inventory management system, you’ll still fight a losing battle if your staff doesn’t understand how the software works. This is especially problematic when dealing with your managerial staff. You need your employees to know how to operate the system and respond appropriately to the information it provides.
When the manager is fluent with the software, they can identify future stock shortages, perform stock audits, and oversee the inventory process smoothly. This will lead to a more streamlined workplace, and there will be a reduced chance of inventory problems arising.
Conclusion
There are many challenges that can affect the supply chain in the woodwork industry, especially when you have multiple projects running simultaneously. Fortunately, there are software systems that can help you manage your inventory more effectively, lowering your risk of loss and resource wastage.
With a competent inventory management system, you can maintain smooth projects that ensure a high ROI.
If you need a quick solution to your woodwork inventory management challenges, contact us today!