Just-in-time inventory management need not stop at the warehouse. What is the value to you in knowing that you have a certain critical or lead inventory item in stock that is miles away in a van when you need it. The ability that Shepherd brings to track and count mobile inventory may soon inform you that parts remain unused in vans long after they are no longer necessary for field work.
Unused stock is only useful if returned
For this reason Shepherd has just introduced a feature to remind technicians which parts they will need in order to complete the day’s installation or delivery work and which parts are no longer necessary. In the first case, Shepherd analyses all fulfillments associated with service orders and compares those items and their quantities to each technician’s mobile stock. The result is an intelligent parts check-out screen whose purpose is to eliminate the occurrence of incomplete installation work as a result of having failed to sign out the necessary inventory.
Simple reminders help after a day in the field
Upon returning to the warehouse and after having completed the day’s service orders, Shepherd will then remind your technicians which parts exist as a surplus in the stock since they are no longer necessary to complete any installation work. Shepherd then suggests those quantities as parts return candidates, making them available to other technicians or for direct shipment in the case of a sale. These two optimizations will help to reduce your business’ inventory needs as well as the frequency of job delay due to long lead time.
Shepherd will soon expand this functionality to cover inventory optimization for planned preventive maintenance whose definitions include the user or inventory in optional and/or required quantities.
How often does site work suffer delays due to missing, essential inventory?
Avoid that frustration with Shepherd. Call now to learn more.
