ERP Consultant Blog

Janitorial Supply Distributors Guide for Selecting a Warehouse Management System

Written by Amjad Khan | Wed, Mar 15, 2017

Janitorial Supply Distributors and Warehouse Management System (WMS) Software Selection - Download FREE Guide

If you are finding it to be harder and harder to manage your inventory, it's a sign you may have outgrown your inventory managemenet system.  Our team of inventory optimization professionals and ERP consultants have experience working with janitorial supply distributors.   We understand you have many challenges similar to other distributors we work with and several that are unique to your industry.  

Selecting a warehouse management system (WMS) that is the right fit to meet your individual business requirements takes a great deal of time.

If your business growth is causing greater urgency for better inventory control and improved warehouse efficiency, we highly recommend you download this guide "How to Choose a Warehouse Management System."

This 13-page WMS selection guide outlines the critical information you need to make the best decision possible with a 2- page checklist to help get you started with reviewing your requirements.  It also includes information on how to build an effective project team, ask the right questions of your software reseller and successfully implement your new WMS system.

 

6 signs it's time for a WMS system for your Janitorial Supply Distribution company 

1. You have too much inaccurate inventory and do not do physical cycle counts often enough.

2. You have to shut down the warehouse and this costs too much. The delta between actual janitorial supply inventory is too high of a percentage and the system says you have something that you don’t too often. This may be because of damaged items, theft, and/or internal usage.

3. It is difficult to track items.

4. You need to identify specific inventory by lot or serial numbers but you do not assign your own serial numbers. If you do, it is a manual process that takes too much time and is costly and error prone. You carry too much inventory past its life cycle/expiration date and your write-offs are costly.

5. The order desk takes orders for items that are out of stock too often.

6. They cannot check across multiple warehouses and you cannot ship from alternate locations. They do not know what is in the warehouse, but already committed, or what is in transit. Partial orders cannot be filled or put on back-order. Orders are canceled often, and this is costly. This causes inventory to remain in stock.

Questions for you...

What's the single biggest challenge you face in managing inventory with your current software?

Specifically, could you speak about those frustrations that have a direct impact on your business?

 

If any of these points above happen in your business, it's probably to start evaluating a system that would serve as to help with your inventory management. Our ERP consulting team at Optimize Our Inventory works as manufacturers and distributors.  Our consulting firm draws on the experience to help growing distributors and light manufacturers improve their supply chain management. Let's start the conversation and let us help you!

Contact us, email or call  310.313.0047 to learn how your business could benefit from implementing an inventory control solution to improve inventory accuracy, simplify work processes, and save valuable time and money.

Learn how to improve customer service, customer loyalty and thereby increasing your revenue with an integrated industry specific system. By implementing a system that provides direct integration, the office staff can continue to use the accounting system and are often able to process inventory transactions in an easy to use integrated system.

About Optimize Our Inventory

Established in 1988 and Headquartered in Orange County CA, Optimize Our Inventory is a division of aimINSIGHT Solutions, Inc. Our Vision is to serve the mid-sized Janitorial and Sanitary Supply and Distribution companies as well as a wide range of other Wholesale Distribution companies. We specialize in addressing and Bridging the Gap in technology. The goal of providing a single invoice, single shipment from multiple suppliers sources and multiple locations challenges that most Janitorial Distributors face. Our team of consultants will visit you onsite and design the solution that fits your unique budget and challenges. We have worked with most of the off the shelf software available today. Our software solution and technology consulting is designed to “Bridge the Gap” that you face. 

Recommended for you:

  • 8 Reasons to Invest in Janitorial Supply Software for Inventory Optimization
  • Janitorial Supply Software Evaluation: 19 Signs it's Time for a Change
  • Janitorial Supply Software: 7 Implementation Tips 
  • Janitorial Supply Software - 5 Steps to Get Accurate Inventory
  • Janitorial Supply Software Checklist: Maximizing Inventory ROI
  • 6 Ways Janitorial Supply Software Helps Improve Customer Service

Another version of this blog was posted here on Optimize Our Inventory's blog on March 3, 2017 by Amjad Khanmohamed - "Janitorial Supply and Distribution Software for Warehouse Management System (WMS) Selection" 

All whitepapers are courtesy of grey chameleon and are copyrighted by friends of grey chameleon software