If inventory in your hardware supply business is often miscalculated, leading to occasional shortage of the supplies needed to fill customers orders in time, reorganizing the methods that are used to keep track of materials is essential. After making changes, your business may operate more efficiently.

Use A Thermal Transfer Printer To Create Bar Codes

Purchase a thermal transfer printer. Thermal transfer printers can be used to create labels that each contain a name, description, and bar code. Create a master list of the products that you sell in your business.

Insert a roll of thermal transfer paper in the thermal transfer printer. If you have never used this type of printer before, refer to your owner's manual so that you can learn how to insert the thermal paper properly. Afterward, use the printer to make a label for each product that is on your list. You will need to use a bar code software program to generate bar codes for the products. 

Once labels have been printed out, laminate them and secure them to the shelving units that are used to hold inventory in your business. A bar code scanner can be used to add inventory as it is received at your business. 

Request That Shipments Received Be Double-Checked

If the members of your receiving crew are each responsible for specific tasks in the receiving department, there is a risk that goods that arrive at your business are miscalculated from time to time. Companies that ship products to your business may also make mistakes occasionally and could potentially send fewer products than you originally ordered. Hold a meeting with your receiving crew and request that workers double-check each other's calculations on a daily basis.

If packing slips haven't been organized in the past, designate an area for them to be placed, such as a drawer or a folder. Make sure that your workers understand the importance of checking packing slips and comparing them to the quantities of the items that are received so that any discrepancies can be brought to your attention in a timely manner. 

Take Inventory Several Times A Year

Inventory should be taken several times a year so that you can check to see if quantities that you have recorded coincide with quantities that are on a shelving unit. Ask your employees to assist you with this project and provide employees with scanners. Employees should remove one type of merchandise from a shelving unit at a time and should count all of the pieces.

Afterward, the employees should neatly stack the merchandise on the shelf. Numbers can be written down and compared with the numbers that were previously input with a bar code scanner. If the numbers do not match, they should be adjusted accordingly.