Inventory Optimization
Free up cash and stop running short on the right parts.
Most manufacturers carry too much of what they don't need and too little of what they do. We use your own data to find where the money is tied up, then build the system that keeps inventory right.
Free 30-minute call, no obligation
Sound familiar?
The shelves are full, and you're still short.
Inventory is one of the largest uses of cash in a manufacturing business, and one of the hardest to see clearly. It builds up slowly, through safety stock nobody revisits, orders placed just in case, and counts that drift away from the ERP. Meanwhile, the parts you actually need run out at the worst time.
- Cash sits in slow-moving and obsolete stock
- The right parts still run short, so jobs wait or ship late
- Physical counts don't match what the ERP says
- Reorder points were set years ago, or live in someone's head
- Rush orders and expedited freight are a normal part of the week
- Planning happens in spreadsheets that one person maintains
Why it happens
It's rarely a people problem. It's an information problem.
Planning settings go stale
Reorder points and safety stock get set once, then demand, suppliers, and lead times change around them.
Transactions are late or missing
When receipts, material issues, and scrap get recorded at the end of the shift, or not at all, the counts drift.
Nobody sees the whole picture
Data is spread across the ERP, spreadsheets, and sometimes several locations, so no one has one view of what's really there.
People buy around the problem
When the numbers can't be trusted, teams order extra just in case, and the excess quietly piles up.
None of this means your team is doing a bad job. It means they're working without the information they need.
Step 1: Inventory assessment
See exactly where your inventory dollars are going.
We start with your own data and a walk through how inventory actually moves in your operation. Then we put a dollar value on what we find.
What we look at
- Excess and slow-moving stock: what's sitting, how long it's been there, and what it's worth
- Shortages and expediting: which parts run short, how often, and what the rush orders cost
- Planning settings: reorder points, safety stock, and lead times compared with actual usage
- Count accuracy: how far the ERP has drifted from what's on the shelf
- How inventory moves: receiving, issuing, and transfers, and where records get missed
What you get
A report with the cash you can free up, the cost of shortages and expediting, the root causes, quick wins you can act on right away, and a recommended plan with expected payback.
Timeline: About 2 to 3 weeks as a Single Area Assessment, or combine it with other areas in a Multi-Area Assessment.
Step 2: The Inventory Optimizer
A system that keeps inventory right, not just a one-time cleanup.
A cleanup helps for a few months. Then the same habits bring the excess and the shortages back. The Inventory Optimizer is a purpose-built system, shaped by what your assessment finds, that keeps the numbers accurate and the planning current.
Depending on what we find, it can include:
- Reorder points and safety stock based on actual usage and lead times
- Alerts when an item is heading toward a shortage or starting to pile up
- Barcode scanning for receiving, issuing, and cycle counts, so records stay accurate
- Cycle counts that focus on the items where accuracy matters most
- A live view of inventory value, turns, and slow movers
- A connection to your ERP, which stays the system of record
After launch, we track the cash freed up and the shortages avoided month by month, so you can see the return.
Results
From paper counts to 99.9% scan accuracy.
The City of Appleton was counting inventory by hand, and errors were common. We built a cycle counting app for rugged Zebra scanners that guides each count step by step and keeps every record traceable.
99.9%
scan accuracy
50%
labor reduction
We don't perform physical counts or run your warehouse. We give your team the data and tools to keep inventory right.
Common questions
Questions about inventory optimization
Do we need to replace our ERP?
No. The ERP stays the system of record. We work with the data it already has and build what's missing around it.
What data do you need for the assessment?
Usually item, inventory, and transaction history exports from your ERP, plus a few conversations with the people who plan and handle inventory. If some of the data is missing or messy, that's common, and we work with what you have.
Does this work for make-to-order or high-mix shops?
Yes. The approach changes with how you build and sell. A job shop's inventory problems look different from a high-volume line's, and the assessment is built to find what matters in your operation.
How fast will we see results?
Quick wins from the assessment can often be acted on right away. The system itself is built in phases, so the most valuable piece goes live first.
Get started
Find out how much cash is sitting on your shelves.
Talk to an expert about what you're seeing and whether an inventory assessment is the right first step.