8 Benefits of Having an Effective Inventory Management System​

Almost every industry, especially those that produce and sell products, must implement inventory management. Well-organized inventory management can streamline operations and save time and money.

One problem caused by poor inventory management is stockouts. According to Shopify, stockouts cost retailers $1 trillion every year globally, even before COVID-19. While this number is not specific to the Philippines, it gives an idea of the importance of an effective inventory management system.

In this article, we will look into the benefits of implementing an inventory management system, especially when integrated with the ERP system.

What is Inventory Management?

Inventory management means tracking a company’s goods and materials. It’s about making sure there’s enough stock for business activities like production and sales, but not too much that it becomes excessive.

Good inventory management means having just the right amount of stock to satisfy demand without having too much, which can cause higher storage costs and waste. It includes different tasks and ways to manage stock, including:

• Stock level monitoring
• Order planning and replenishment
• Classification and categorization
• Location management
• Stock valuation and rotation
• Automation and software integration

Having effective inventory management is key for businesses to run smoothly, cut down on expenses, and satisfy their customers. When companies use smart ways to handle their stock, they can make their operations more straightforward, have better control over their money, and work more efficiently.

Please visit our previous article for a more detailed explanation of the definition of inventory management and its importance.

Main Benefits of Using Inventory Management Software Integrated with ERP System

Using inventory management software is essential to improving stock handling. It helps automate everyday tasks, reduces work, and allows users to focus on understanding data to make well-informed decisions.

Integrating inventory management software with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system provides businesses with a comprehensive platform for managing various aspects of their operations. This integration offers several key benefits:

1. Streamlined Increase profit and reduce costs

With inventory management software integrated into ERP, businesses can streamline financial processes. The system can automatically update financial data based on inventory transactions, reducing manual data entry and minimizing errors. Integrated analytics in inventory management software help predict demand, allowing for better purchasing decisions and inventory turnover, reducing cost and increasing potential profit.

For example, consider a retail company that has a disjointed inventory system. They often found themselves either with too much of a product, incurring high storage costs, or too little, leading to missed sales opportunities. Their inventory accuracy was around 70%, causing a ripple effect of inefficiencies and customer dissatisfaction.

After integrating their inventory management with an ERP system, it turns out the retail’s inventory accuracy soared to 98%. The ERP provided automated stock level monitoring and predictive analytics, enabling them to maintain optimal inventory levels.

Due to better stock availability, they also reduced storage costs by 25% and increased sales by 15%. The ERP’s real-time data also allowed for quicker responses to market trends, further increasing profitability.

In essence, an integrated inventory management system within an ERP helps companies to:

• Reduce costs: By minimizing excess inventory and associated holding costs.
• Increase profit: Through improved order fulfilment, customer satisfaction, and sales.
• Enhance decision making: With accurate data and predictive analytics for better inventory planning.

2. Automation and efficiency

Integration with an ERP system allows businesses to automate various inventory-related tasks. This automation enhances efficiency by reducing manual work, improving accuracy, and accelerating processes.

This feature also helps businesses monitor inventory in real-time, reducing the risk of stockouts and overstocking. With accurate, up-to-date data, businesses can make informed decisions about inventory management.

For example, let’s say there is a wholesale distribution company that deals with a high volume of orders and inventory movement. Before integrating its inventory management system with an ERP, the company relied on manual processes for order fulfilment and restocking. This approach led to several challenges, such as slow order fulfilment, inefficient restocking, and high error rates.

After integrating with an ERP system, the company’s operations became significantly more efficient:

• Automated order processing: Orders go straight to the warehouse, where they are prepared and packed. The system makes a list of items to pick and finds the best way to collect them, speeding up the delivery process.
• Automated restocking: The ERP system decides when to reorder each product. It orders more automatically if the amount in stock drops too low based on the minimum number that has been decided previously. This keeps the stock steady and avoids running out of products.
• Real-time inventory tracking: The system keeps an up-to-the-minute inventory record, ensuring correct numbers and minimizing mistakes. This automatic process leads to more precise financial records and the matching of stock records.
• Enhanced decision-making: Having the latest data improves a business plan for restocking products and arranging storage. This can cut down expenses and help manage money better by avoiding too much stock

3. Improved supply chain visibility

ERP systems often include supply chain management features. Integrating inventory management software with ERP provides a comprehensive view of the supply chain, allowing businesses to track products from suppliers to customers. This enhanced visibility aids in identifying potential bottlenecks and improving overall supply chain efficiency.

Consider a consumer electronics manufacturing company. Before integrating its inventory management system with an ERP, the company faced several challenges related to its supply chain, such as limited visibility, frequent bottlenecks, and poor collaboration.

After integrating its inventory management software with an ERP system that includes supply chain management features, the manufacturing company experienced significant improvements:

• Comprehensive supply chain visibility: The ERP system gave the company a clear picture of everything from getting materials to delivering products. This complete overview helped find and fix any delays easily.
• Improved collaboration: The system helped different parts of the company and their suppliers talk to each other better. This made sharing information easier, leading to less confusion and more efficient work.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction: The company fixed delays and made the supply process smoother, so they could complete orders faster and more correctly. This made customers happier and more likely to buy again.

4. Better collaboration across department

With inventory management software integrated into an ERP system, businesses can access all relevant data from a single platform. This centralized approach reduces the need for manual data entry across different systems, minimizing errors and ensuring consistency.

A centralized ERP system also fosters better collaboration across departments. When inventory management software is integrated with ERP, sales, purchasing, production, and accounting teams can access shared data. This seamless collaboration promotes efficient communication and reduces misalignment between departments.

Consider a retail business with inventory spread across multiple locations. Without an integrated system, the company relies on different software or manual spreadsheets to manage inventory at each location. This approach can lead to several issues, such as inconsistent data, manual data entry, and limited collaboration.

This scenario changes dramatically with inventory management software integrated into an ERP system. The business can:

• Access centralized data: All stock information is kept in a single system, which allows instant access and reduces the need to enter data by hand.
• Ensure data consistency: The system automatically adjusts the stock numbers when items are sold or restocked, keeping the count the same everywhere.
• Enhance collaboration: A single system lets all departments see the same information, which helps them work together better. For instance, the sales team can see up-to-date stock numbers for all places to give customers correct information.

5. Better customer satisfaction

ERP systems often include Customer Relationship Management (CRM) modules. Integration with inventory management software enables businesses to align inventory with customer needs. This integration enhances order processing, fulfilment, and customer service, improving customer satisfaction.

Imagine an e-commerce company specializing in electronic gadgets and accessories. Before integrating its CRM and inventory management software with its ERP system, the company faced several challenges in order processing and customer service, such as misalignment in inventory and sales, inconsistent customer service, and inefficient order fulfilment.

After integrating CRM and inventory management software with the ERP system, the e-commerce company saw substantial improvements:

• Aligned inventory with customer needs: The system links the company’s stock to what customers want, using information from the customer relationship management (CRM) system. This ensured that the best-selling items were always available, lowering the chance of stockouts.
• Efficient order processing: Sales teams could immediately see stock information, which helped them handle orders quickly and correctly. This led to fewer hold-ups and better order completion.

6. Scalability and flexibility

ERP-integrated inventory management systems are designed to scale with business growth. This scalability ensures the system can accommodate increasing inventory demands and adapt to changing business needs without requiring significant system modifications.

Imagine a retail company that started with a single store but has rapidly expanded to multiple locations nationwide. The company used separate systems for each store before integrating its inventory management system with an ERP. This led to several challenges as the business grew, such as fragmented inventory management, limited scalability, and complex data consolidation.

After integrating its inventory management system with a scalable ERP solution, the retail company experienced significant improvements as it continued to grow:

• Unified inventory management: The ERP system enabled the company to handle stock from all places using one main system, giving a full picture of the stock throughout the company.
• Accommodates business expansion: As the company grew and opened more stores, the ERP system easily adjusted to handle more stock without needing big changes to the system.
• Flexible adaptability: The system could grow with the company, helping it adapt to new needs like offering different products or selling in new areas. This ability to change helped the company expand smoothly without messing up its current business.

7. Enhanced compliance and regulation

ERP-integrated inventory management software helps businesses comply with industry regulations and standards. The system can track regulatory requirements, such as product labelling and safety standards, reducing non-compliance risk and associated penalties.

Consider a food and beverage company that produces packaged goods. Before integrating its inventory management software with an ERP system, the company faced compliance challenges regarding product labelling and safety standards. These challenges included inconsistent product labelling, safety risks, and complex documentation.

After integrating its inventory management software with an ERP system, the food and beverage company experienced significant improvements in compliance:

• Consistent product labelling: The system lets the company manage all its product labelling rules in one place. It ensures that every label includes the right details, such as ingredients, nutrition facts, and use-by dates, following the industry rules.
• Safety compliance tracking: The ERP system made it easier for the company to monitor safety rules and ensure that all products were safe to use. This helped lower the chance of breaking rules and facing fines.
• Streamlined documentation: The company used one main system to create and track important paperwork automatically. This made getting to and sharing these papers during inspections or checks much simpler.
• Reduced risk of non-compliance: The company tracked rules and ensured labels and safety were always up to standard. This helped them avoid breaking rules, fines, or calling back products.

8. Enhanced reporting and analytics

ERP-integrated inventory management software allows businesses to generate comprehensive reports and analytics. These insights can help businesses analyze trends, forecast demand, and make data-driven decisions about inventory levels, purchasing, and production planning.

Consider a retail company that sells seasonal products, such as clothing and accessories. Before integrating its inventory management software with an ERP system, the company struggled to predict demand accurately. This led to inaccurate inventory levels, inefficient product planning, and limited trend analysis.

After integrating its inventory management software with an ERP system, the retail company experienced significant improvements in demand forecasting and inventory management:

• Comprehensive reports: The ERP system created in-depth reports on sales patterns, stock amounts, and customer behavior. This helped the company understand which products were selling well and which weren’t.
• Accurate demand forecasting: The company used past sales and seasonal patterns to predict how much they would sell. This made managing stock better and helped avoid running out of items when they’re needed the most.
• Enhanced production planning: With improved predictions of future sales, the company could plan its production to match what customers are likely to buy. This helped cut down on unused products and made the company work better.
• Optimized purchasing: The company looked at stock patterns to make smart buying choices, ensuring they ordered the correct products when needed.

HashMicro’s Inventory Management System as Your Business Solution

HashMicro’s Inventory Management System is designed to provide a comprehensive and efficient solution for businesses seeking to improve their inventory management processes. It offers a range of features that help streamline operations, reduce costs, and enhance business efficiency.

Here’s an in-depth look at what makes HashMicro’s system a valuable choice for your business.

• Real-time inventory tracking: This feature lets businesses monitor their stock accurately, enabling them to make informed decisions. With real-time visibility, they can avoid stockouts and overstocking and maintain the right inventory levels.
• Automated inventory control: HashMicro’s system automates various inventory tasks like reordering, stock adjustments, and inventory counts. This reduces manual work, minimizes errors, and speeds up inventory processes.
• Integration with ERP systems: This integration lets businesses centralize their operations, covering inventory management, accounting, and customer relationship management (CRM). A centralized platform improves cross-department collaboration and boosts overall efficiency.
• User-friendly interface: The intuitive design shortens the learning curve, making it easier to adopt and reducing the need for extensive training. This user-friendly approach boosts productivity and ensures a smoother transition to the new system.
• Customization and scalability: The system can be adjusted to fit your needs, whether you need specific workflows, custom reports, or unique features. It’s also designed to grow with your business so that it can scale without major changes or extra costs.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: These features let businesses create detailed inventory reports, study trends, and track important metrics. The insights from these reports help businesses make data-driven decisions about inventory management, purchasing, and production planning.
• Enhanced security and compliance: The system provides strong data encryption, secure access controls, and meets industry regulations. This enhances security guards against data breaches and ensures compliance with legal requirements.
• Comprehensive customer support: HashMicro offers full customer support, including installation help, training, and ongoing maintenance. This support ensures a smooth setup and helps resolve any issues that come up.
• Multi-location and multi-company support: This feature is perfect for businesses with several warehouses or branches, letting them manage inventory at different locations from one platform. It also helps companies with multiple subsidiaries to consolidate inventory management, giving them a unified view of their operations.
• Real-time notifications and alerts: The system sends immediate updates to help businesses stay informed about important stock changes. Users can set up these updates to let them know when stock is low, it’s time to order more, or other major stock-related situations occur.

Conclusion

Poor inventory management or manual processes can have far-reaching consequences for a company, affecting its efficiency, costs, cash flow, customer satisfaction, and compliance. Implementing an automated inventory management system can help mitigate these risks and lead to more efficient and effective business operations.

Integrating inventory management software with an ERP system gives businesses centralized data management, automation, real-time tracking, and improved collaboration across departments. This integration enhances efficiency, streamlines financial processes, and supports scalability, helping businesses stay competitive in a dynamic market.

HashMicro’s Inventory Management System offers a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking to improve their inventory management processes. With features like real-time tracking, automation, ERP integration, and advanced reporting, the system provides businesses with the tools to enhance efficiency and support growth.

If you want to learn more, request a free demo from HashMicro to explore the system’s capabilities and see how it can benefit your business.

FAQ about Benefits of Inventory Management

• What are the challenges of manual inventory management, and how can they be addressed?

  Manual inventory management in the Philippines often faces issues such as inconsistent tracking, inefficient warehouse management, data inaccuracy, limited process visibility, and overstocking problems. These challenges can be addressed by adopting automated inventory management systems with real-time tracking, accurate data entry, and better overall process visibility. Implementing a computerized system can streamline operations, reduce errors, and improve decision-making capabilities.

• How does inventory management software integrate with e-commerce platforms?

  Inventory management software can seamlessly integrate with e-commerce platforms like Shopee, Lazada, Amazon, and Shopify. This integration ensures real-time synchronization of inventory levels, automatic updates for stock movements, and efficient handling of sales orders. Such integrations help businesses manage their inventory more effectively, reduce the risk of overselling, and improve customer satisfaction by providing accurate stock availability information.

• How can inventory management systems improve warehouse operations?

  Inventory management systems enhance warehouse operations by providing real-time data on stock levels, optimizing space utilization, and automating processes like picking, packing, and shipping. These systems also support better product organization through features like barcode scanning and location tracking, which reduce errors and improve efficiency. Ultimately, this leads to faster order fulfilment and reduced operational costs.

• What role does data analytics play in inventory management?

  Data analytics in inventory management allows businesses to gain insights into sales trends, customer preferences, and inventory turnover rates. By analyzing this data, companies can make informed decisions on stock replenishment, identify slow-moving items, and optimize their inventory levels. This leads to better demand forecasting, reduced holding costs, and improved overall profitability.

• What features should businesses look for in inventory management software?

  When selecting inventory management software, businesses in the Philippines should look for features such as inventory tracking and control, barcode scanning, multi-location management, integration with e-commerce platforms, and comprehensive reporting and analytics. These features help maintain accurate stock levels, automate order processes, and provide valuable insights for better inventory control.