Inventory

The inventory count can be automated if every material movement is booked at the moment of withdrawal or refill. In Neoception's solution, RFID or barcodes identify each parts container, and smart labels on the shelf compartments trigger the booking at the press of a button. Because the stock in the system is always up to date, manual counts are largely unnecessary. The time-consuming transfer of paper lists into the ERP also disappears.

Automated stock replenishment starts with the withdrawal: staff press a button on the smart label of the shelf compartment, and the same action can trigger a reorder or refill in the warehouse management system. At Neoception, RFID or barcodes also identify each parts container. Optical sensors in the labels guide staff with light signals on the filling and picking sides. The stock thus stays up to date without extra data entry.

Reorder points can be monitored automatically when stock data is available centrally and in real time rather than on paper. Without digitalisation, stock figures, minimum quantity, safety stock and reorder point have to be entered into the system by hand after every count. In Neoception's solution, withdrawals are booked automatically, and pressing a button on the smart label triggers the reorder. The kanban logic can be adapted to each process.

IoT records every load automatically during loading and unloading instead of staff entering it with a handheld scanner. With SICK's ALDIS, distance sensors on the forklift detect the load, and RFID, laser or camera identify it. GPS outdoors and UWB indoors provide the position. This shows at any time where material, pallet and forklift are, and the data is available in Asset Analytics for tracking.