Smart vending allows companies of all sizes the opportunity to gain control over their inventory management. Large and small companies have reported significant cost savings from lowered operating costs, lost production and safety-related medical expenses.
You may be familiar with traditional vending machines that vend soft drinks and potato chips, but an entire world of vending options serve a greater purpose. Smart vending machines dispense supplies directly to your employees. A smart vending machine is one of the most advanced lean management solutions available for managing materials. This inventory control method is ideal for tracking inventory items at the point-of-use. It allows businesses enhanced visibility into inventory item consumption at the user level and ensures compliance with regulatory and safety requirements for supplies.
Traditional inventory management methods that include manual tracking and storage of critical inventory are often riddled with human error. This can result in out-of-stock items or expensive spot buys, both of which have an immediate impact on worker safety, production goals and overall profitability. Smart vending machines paired with inventory control management software offer much more consistent and effective inventory control.
Many businesses require round-the-clock-inventory access at different sites. Smart vending machines provide a cost-effective solution for this need. Supplies and tools are accessible without an employee needing to be onsite during all shifts.
Smart vending machines can vend any variety and combination of items, including barcode scanners, power tools, maintenance, repair and operating supplies (MRO), personal protective equipment (PPE), and more.
Are All Vending Options Created Equal?
No. While all vending machines offer point-of-use dispensing, the similarities end there. Ease of use, accessibility and powerful but simple inventory control software are key differentiating factors when it comes to selecting a smart vending solution for your company’s needs. Vending machines guided by cloud-based, robust software offer users additional capabilities: flexible user permissions, check-in/ check-out options, real-time, remote inventory tracking and customized alerts, advanced analytics, consumption reports and streamlined purchasing options.
Additionally, accessing inventory software on a mobile device is essential. Our unique touchpad comes equipped with a cellular card ready for immediate cellular use. This means that once installed, the touchpad searches for a cell signal and automatically loads inventory data preconfigured onto the machine ready to be used.
The Benefits of Smart Vending
Inventory control solutions like smart vending and inventory control software help companies substantially reduce costs associated with daily operations. MRO inventory items like cleaning solutions, cutting tools, safety equipment, specialty tools and personal protective equipment are vended at the point-of-use. This placement substantially reduces the time employees spend walking the production floor looking for supplies..
If workers don’t have the supplies they need to perform their jobs, your bottom line will suffer. Delays from missing inventory lead to increased downtime and decreased customer confidence.
Inventory control solutions from 1sourcevend eliminate the risk of stockouts or overages on these critical items. When inventory levels reach a minimum set in the software, our cloud-based inventory control software triggers automatic replenishment from our distributors.
Benefits of smart vending machines and inventory control software include:
- Lower Carrying Costs. Vending helps you achieve the visibility and precise inventory control required for lean management and eliminates the need for expensive stockroom personnel.
- Reduced Shrinkage. Increase accountability by tracking usage at the employee level and limiting quantities that are vended. You can also check-in and check-out high-value returnable items with our locker vending machines.
- Improved Regulatory Compliance. Vending provides consistent organization, storage, tracking and documentation of your inventory to regularly monitor compliance.
How are smart vending machines different?
The machines used to vend supplies are as easy to use as retail vending machines, but they are more evolved than their snack-dispensing counterparts. Smart vending machines provide detailed data on which users took what, how many and when. Inventory control software and vending machines help customers improve their inventory tracking capability and employee accountability, resulting in up to 30% reduction in inventory consumption.
Smart vending machines provide benefits such as:
- No cash or credit card: items can be vended via smart card, PIN or RFID
- Variety: Items large and small can be vended via traditional coil machine, locker units or combination units
- Reuse and track high-value items: Scanners and power tools can be returned to locker units, for example
- Consumption reports: Vending software offers user-level reports for improved employee accountability and forecasting
- Documentation: Check-in/ check-out reports from vending software improve safety and regulatory compliance
Inventory Control Problems and Solutions
Inventory mismanagement is a major cause of concern for companies. Having too much or too little inventory prevents optimum productivity. Poor inventory management ties up cash flow, results in excessive warehousing costs and, ultimately, leads to missed sales and lost customers.
Common challenges in inventory management are:
- Lack of inventory visibility
- Inventory tracking errors
- Inadequate supply forecasting
- Expensive stockroom personnel
- Poor employee accountability
Inventory control software and smart vending machines help users save time and money. Now, instead of expensive inventory sitting on a shelf collecting dust or going missing, customers spend less money on unnecessary supplies and less time hunting down missing inventory. Cloud-based inventory control software offers customers several key benefits that include:
- A company-wide view of inventory. Cloud technology allows data from several machines to be aggregated and reported in real time, on any device, giving users a company-wide view of inventory levels and trends that they can segment and analyze by department or employee.
- Improved accountability for inventory use. Thanks to smart machines and automated usage reports, managers can compare item usage among employees to find out who are the most frequent users of certain items. This holds employees accountable and gives managers the tools to correct usage problems.
- Timely, automated ordering. When the number of items in a machine hits a designated minimum, it will automatically trigger a purchase order (PO) in the system. This system precludes the need for reps to visit and manually take inventory and generate new quotes. This saves time and reduces or eliminates out-of-stocks.
How We Differ
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