STOCK CONTROL Put data to work to streamline stock control


what it looks like and where to find it. The underlying data is coming straight from the machine park, to match actual requirements in the field. And Vendmanager can be used to underpin single walk, pre-packing and visit on demand – whatever suits the operator best. Everything is integrated! By putting data hard to work right across the business clients can safely reducing stockholding, Dan says. “One client who already thought that they were “tight” with their stock control, recently told


B


y empowering data and technology to work it is possible to make significant improvements to stock control according to SB Software’s head of operations Dan Varney.


“Growing up in our family vending company, where I rose to be


general manager, I learnt both the principles and the disciplines of stock control inside out from an early age: knowing what you’ve got, what you’ve not got, where everything is, what you will (probably) need when and where, and always keeping an eye on commercially crucial aspects including sell-by dates.” Dan says it’s all about deploying data so that things run better,


easier and faster, by putting technology hard to work in the warehouse and right across each client’s business. “Staff view data and images of stock items on their smart devices (usually bigger than a Smartphone but smaller than an iPad or tablet - “phablets”). The screens tell the user what to pick per order,


us that they have now reduced even further to hold one month’s less ordering. That’s not a bad return on their investment.” “Clients can also decide just how far they want to go in streamlining


stock control by empowering data. Take Automated Fleet Routing (AFR) for example. With precise current data on tap per machine, AFR analyses and decides the best set of routes for each vehicle across your whole fleet, with route maps and schedules for each van/driver. This is the best routing anywhere. As well as saving time and money we are minimising stock on vans being transported around needlessly (and burning fuel unnecessarily in vehicles that can be smaller and lighter and therefore cheaper to run). “Data and technology can make huge contributions to stock


control, but that’s just a part of the bigger picture, with so many more opportunities nowadays to improve efficiency and profitability across the sector through the visibility and control that data enables.”


Head of merchant sales for H-Pack David Martin, said: “As vending


and catering suppliers, we are aware of the issues surrounding the holding of stock that a lot of our customers have – particularly those who have limited space and require a good flow of supplies. “We try to counter any potential issues by holding stock for our customers; this is facilitated, firstly, by a recent decision to double our containers. It is then shored up by plans we have in place for an extra 150,000ft2 of warehouse space, with automated shelf stacking to create more efficient processes and to remove error. This methodolgy involves goods being taken straight from the containers and put in place on the shelves on arrival. “We’ve also tried to factor in the need for clear product


A helping hand in stock holding


One-stop packaging shop H-Pack is making strides to help its customers not only with stock holding but also with clear product differentiation.


18 | vendinginternational-online.com


differentiation so that our customers know what they are getting. To help all operators, products sold in the UK are marked clearly with Hot ‘n’ Fresh logos in either green, red or blue to indicate the materials that have gone into the items: Green covers all eco-friendly materials from paper to wood and bagasse; the red logo is foils and the blue represents plastics. It’s simple, streamlined and effective and it means that operators can quickly identify the options to ensure that they get exactly what they want; fulfilling all eco-friendly requirments, if necessary, to meet their own customer expectation.”


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