The way technology is changing the future has largely to do with its impact on organizations’ operational efficiency and workforce requirements. How do machines impact downtime? Machines improve downtime through…
In some facilities, inventory management tends to become a collection of practices that one generation hands down to the next. The procedures they pass on are not always true nuggets…
Techniques to manage inventory can vary depending on the type of inventory being kept and the nature of the business. For example, a retail organization…
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is a comprehensive system that helps companies of all sizes store, manage, access, and use critical information to help them run their processes more efficiently.
Supply chain management is the entire process that directs how goods, services, information, and money move from the initial order of a product or service to its final delivery to…
The best way to organize your warehouse will depend on your business, inventory, growth projectile, time and budget limitations, and many other factors. Because warehouse layout can significantly affect so…
The best ways to organize your warehouse involve wise layout design, management software, and labeling systems. Well-organized, tidy warehouses make the entire process of receiving items, moving them to the…
Warehouse racking is the system of shelves, configuration, and location of the physical structure required to hold your inventory items. Typically made from plastic, metal, or wood, warehouse racking plays…
Assets should be tagged by a unique identification number or barcode and categorized by a method that’s compatible with your accounting system. In addition, the type of asset tag should…
Leak detection and repair (LDAR) refers to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations designed to help reduce volatile organic compounds (VOC) and volatile hazardous air pollutants (VHAP). Current regulatory programs require…
The top supply chain management degrees are usually majors, concentrations, or degrees in supply chain management, operations, or logistics. As supply chain management practices and associated technologies have evolved, a…
A 2D barcode is a set of small geometric shapes organized within a square or rectangle to store information. Since they can store information in both the vertical and horizontal…
The term 3pl refers to third-party logistics, which means that an outside company takes over the receiving, storing, picking, and shipping of your products from its warehouse to your customers.
A piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) is a picture of the piping, instruments and controls for equipment in the process industry. It shows the control data, start-up and shutdown procedures,…
Supply chain logistics is the management of all the companies, transportation, warehouses, and distributors needed to deliver a final product. In our global economy, that may involve dozens of…
Barcode types can be categorized into three main groups: numeric, alpha-numeric, and two-dimensional. The first two types are considered one-dimensional and include only numbers or a combination of letters and…
Inventory accounting is the segment of accounting that tracks the value of current inventory items, as well as the changes that occur when new items arrive or raw materials are…
Asset tracking is the means by which businesses keep tabs on their critical equipment as well as their inventory. This may include labeling technology and hardware using asset tags…
An asset tag is an identification label that is connected to a company’s physical equipment or property. Some assets are permanent and immovable such as buildings, bolted-down machinery, and lighting…
The main differences between QR codes and UPC labels are the amount of information they can hold, how they appear to the user, and the type of equipment required to…
Barcoding is an identification method used by a wide variety of companies to track, identify, and manage items. You probably see barcodes every day in common places like grocery store…
Choose a barcode scanner by thinking about what you will use it for, how often you’ll need it, and what kind of technology must be integrated with it. Barcode…
Top quartile facilities with sophisticated maintenance systems typically calculate their MRO inventory value as a percent of replacement asset value (RAV). They aim to keep…
Inventory control refers to the massive undertaking of managing items from the moment they are ordered; throughout their storage, movement and usage; to their final destination or disposal. Many systems,…
Warehouse automation includes all the software, hardware, people, and processes that are required to automate warehouse tasks to improve efficiency and accuracy. This may involve everything from labeling inventory items,…
Warehouse logistics involve all the people, processes, and programs required to keep your items moving in, around, and through your warehouse. An organized warehouse saves employees time, reduces overall costs,…
UID stands for unique identification and is a required asset identification program established by the United States Department of Defense. All government-owned and government-purchased assets must carry a UID so…
An inventory management system keeps track of items that an organization purchases to manufacture or deliver its final product or service to its customers. It usually includes an array of…
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are an advanced barcoding system used by facilities to track assets. Data moves from the RFID tag through a reader to a central computer using…
Within facilities management, inventory management tracks items from the moment of purchase through its time of use. The best inventory management systems include complete and detailed records of materials and…