newsonline24

This is particularly relevant for builders’ merchants operating around Birmingham and the West Midlands, where construction, refurbishment and infrastructure projects create continuous demand for building materials. Stock levels can also vary significantly depending on season, weather and product category. Branch managers, stock controllers and purchasing teams therefore need to know exactly what is available, how much is in stock and where it is located – whether that means inside the warehouse, in the yard or at another branch.

When the stock is there – but nobody knows where

Knowing the total quantity of an item is only part of the picture. Having 40 units in stock is of little help if 20 are somewhere in the yard, ten have already been allocated to a customer order and the remainder cannot immediately be located.

With COSYS Inventory Management Software, stock movements are recorded directly as they happen. Goods receipt, putaway, stock transfers, picking and goods issue can be captured using mobile data capture devices or smartphones. Products, quantities and storage locations are linked to each transaction.

This is particularly useful across large merchant sites. Instead of sending a forklift driver around the yard to find a missing pallet, staff can check where the required stock was booked. COSYS WebDesk provides a central view of inventory and stock movements across different storage zones and, where required, multiple branches.

Seasonal demand requires smarter stock planning

Demand across a builders’ merchant’s product range rarely remains constant throughout the year. Landscaping materials, insulation, roofing products, drainage, timber or other categories can follow very different demand patterns depending on the season, weather and regional construction activity.

COSYS Business Intelligence uses the data generated by day-to-day stock movements to analyse inventory turnover, product trends and fast- or slow-moving lines.

Integrated forecasting takes this further. Historical sales and movement data can be combined with seasonal patterns and external factors to estimate future demand. This helps identify product groups where demand may increase as well as stock that is building up faster than it is being sold.

For purchasing and stock control, this means replenishment decisions do not have to rely solely on static reorder levels. This is especially important for bulky building materials: excess stock ties up working capital and can occupy substantial warehouse or yard capacity.

What actually happens between goods-in and customer collection?

A busy builders’ merchant yard generates a constant flow of internal stock movements. Products arrive at goods-in, are moved into the yard, transferred to another storage zone, picked for an order or staged for trade customer collection or delivery.

These movements can help explain why stock is not always available where it should be.

COSYS Process Data Analysis uses transaction and movement data to examine these workflows. Process Mining can reveal how stock actually moves through the operation and highlight recurring detours, unnecessary transfers or delays.

The result is more than a stock figure. Managers can investigate why particular products are moved unusually often, where time is being lost and why certain orders take longer to process.

Connect the warehouse, yard and branch network

For builders’ merchants operating several branches, inventory management needs to extend beyond a single site. Stock may be available within the branch network even when the local yard has run short.

COSYS Internal Transport Management (IBT) can digitally record stock requests and transfers between warehouses, yards, branches and other internal locations. This creates a traceable process from the initial request through to the transfer and receipt of the goods.

Load carriers can also be included. Pallets, stillages and other reusable transport equipment move between suppliers, branches, customers and distribution sites alongside the materials themselves. COSYS Load Carrier Management provides visibility into these movements and helps maintain transparent load carrier balances.

Focus on the exceptions that require action

Thousands of stock transactions can take place across a busy merchant operation. Branch and warehouse managers should not have to manually check every one of them.

COSYS combines Business Intelligence with early-warning functions and Task Management. When defined stock thresholds are reached or unusual developments occur, alerts and specific tasks can be triggered.

Does a stock discrepancy need checking? Should products be transferred from another branch? Is a key line approaching its reorder point? The required action can be assigned to the relevant employee instead of remaining unnoticed in a report.

This allows managers to concentrate on exceptions that actually require intervention.

Better control over stock that does not fit neatly on a shelf

Effective builders’ merchant inventory management needs to reflect the reality of the site. Warehouses, outdoor yards, bulky products, seasonal demand and branch transfers cannot be managed effectively through a basic stock list alone.

COSYS combines mobile inventory management with Business Intelligence, forecasting, process analysis and Task Management, while adjacent processes such as internal stock transfers and load carrier management can be integrated as required. Mobile data capture hardware, smartphones, interfaces to existing ERP or WMS solutions, device services and process data analysis complete the modular COSYS solution.

Would you like better visibility of stock across your warehouse, yard and branch network? Test COSYS Inventory Management free of charge with the demo apps available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. COSYS can then help you configure inventory management, analytics and logistics processes around your product range, branch structure and existing workflows.