Without effective inventory management in place, an industrial business can haemorrhage money in misplaced or overconsumed parts. More importantly, a smart inventory solution provides round the clock access to essential parts, consumables, or PPE – with automated controls in place – reducing supply chain costs and downtime.
According to Brenton Finch, B2B eCommerce Manager at Motion Australia, an inventory management system – such as a vending solution – can reduce product usage by up to 50 per cent. Motion Australia offers the widest range of vending machine options than any other distributor, from coil and locker machines to tool crib tracking management.
“Our machines are supported by the CribMaster software, which is really the key to monitoring stock levels and configuring things like controlled access,” he explains. “It lets the customer know exactly what they’ve got on hand, notifying them when they need to re-order. It gives the customer the ability to track and measure everything coming out of the machine, including who is using it and what job it is being used for. This allows for smarter resource allocation for each particular job, team, or individual employee.”
Each system can be tailored to suit a business’s individual requirements. For example, some businesses might prefer the automated replenishment option where consumables or MRO products are restocked via the nearest Motion Australia branch. While other businesses may prefer a simple but regular stock report. Either way, having a good level of traceability of the stock is beneficial to a business.
“It reduces downtime spent looking for and ordering items, because it can ensure constant product availability,” says Brenton. “Using one of these solutions, there should never be an instance where something is inconveniently out of stock, because it will have already flagged the system and triggered a re-order ahead of time.”
In addition, the solutions are fully configurable, meaning that individuals only have access to equipment that they are qualified or permitted to take out.
“For example, not any tradesperson on site can take a piece of calibrated equipment from the solution – it will depend on their access level,” says Brenton. “Any of the machines or the tool store is configurable to the individual so that you can control equipment or stock, providing access only to those with certain skill sets or qualifications.”
The onsite inventory management solutions also reduce waste and overordering.
“The other key benefit is that – and this may sound ironic – but it reduces stock on hand, because it’s constantly reporting on what’s there and needs to be replenished,” explains Brenton. “Often, businesses overorder on what they require and so it’s common for there to be redundant stock on site. And on top of that a huge cost saving can be realised by reducing the amount of lost, damaged, or even stolen stock because the solution has a record of everything.”
Machine options
ToolBox
• Ideal vending machine for high-use consumables, PPE, general shop supplies and cutting tools
• Can store up to 60 items
ProStock
• Vending machine designed for small, pre-packaged MRO items
• Can include welding consumables and electrical components in addition to PPE, cutting tools and general shop supplies
• Can store up to 560 items
WeighStation
• Larger capacity solution for small to large MRO consumables, welding consumables, electrical components, safety products, abrasives and general shop supplies
• Almost 4-5 x capacity of other coiled vending machines
ProLock
• Fully configurable storage container for calibrated and durable tooling
• Up to 24 lockers, can store tools on-charge
• Restricts access to authorised persons only, highly secure
AccuCab
• Secure decentralised tool store
• Monitor calibration schedules and inspection processes
Brenton recommends that industrial businesses talk with their local Motion Australia representative if they’re interested in an onsite inventory management solution because there are a variety of options to consider.
