Use your inventory counts to increase your purchasing and production efficiency

• Get the benefit of higher quantity orders with lower costs … find out more about JIT
• Reduce buffer stock ... Don’t let inventory tie up cash that your company could be using elsewhere
• Develop joint replenishment systems to maximize your purchasing power
  Save money and warehouse space ...

Stop the records nightmare!

• Find the causes of inventory problems with paper or electronic trails
• Develop paperwork methods that other departments will actually use correctly
• Track even the smallest (and hardest-to-count) units
  Get a tracking system that really works ...

You’ll improve your company’s customer service

• Use inventory forecasting — put an end to inventory write-offs and carry the right amount of in-demand items
• No more problems with on-time delivery and avoid the complaints (and costs) that come with rush orders
• Customer orders are filled more quickly with less chance of error when your staff uses better locator maps
  Boost your company’s bottom line ...

End the people hassles and achieve staff efficiency

• Train and use staff more effectively during inventories and cycle counts
• Maintain smooth relations between your department, accounting, customer service and production management
• Develop a scheduling system so that your employees aren’t trying to do two things at once and daily business isn’t disrupted
  Less stressed employees are more productive employees ...

Better skills mean less stress for you

• No more surprises at inventory time
• Have answers ready for auditors and accounting
• Deal with the millions of details and still get the job done faster
  Get the credit you deserve for a job well done.

Your Inventory Record System

• Assess your inventory management system to find the holes
• The basic elements of a rock-solid inventory recordkeeping system
• Avoid “paper” and use reliable electronic systems
• The most important information that should be on every inventory tag
• Easy formulas to help you decide how often to schedule counts
• JIT: Will this system work for you?
• Improve your forecasting and get what you want when you want it

Preparing for the Count

• Getting your area in shape for the big count: tips for keeping a clean facility
• Decide on how much staff you’ll really need
• Must-have checklists to keep on hand before you start the count
• When a multiple count approach is best
• Expert tips for preventing theft
• Training staff (even those that have been there for years)
• Create locator maps that keep on working all year long
• Test counts and blind counts … Are they a good use of staff time?
• Inventory models and applying them to your situation

Cycle Counts: Are They Right for You?

• ABC Analysis or the Geographic method: Classification methods that tell you what to count and how often
• How cycle counts can boost your inventory efficiency
• What should be counted in a cycle count?
• 4 ways to decide whether your cycle counts should replace the annual inventory
• Ranking your inventory and the 80/20 rule
• Surefire strategies to make cycle counts go quick and easy

Conduct Your Physical Inventory Efficiently and Error-Free

• Which products need to be counted most often
• How to track in-transit items or shipments that arrive during the count
• Motivate staff and keep the stress level on low
• When should you be counting WIP inventory and when to leave it alone
• The 4-Corner method and other counting strategies
• Pallet tagging for bulk merchandising
• 5 important questions to ask when you are considering hiring an outside vendor
• Keeping staff organized and on-task during the event

Getting It Right: Managing the Problems

• Best ways to handle small (but numerous) units
• Keeping your teams working together
• The most common causes of errors and how to handle them
• Dealing with “The Lost Product” and making records adjustments
• How much error is acceptable and find out how to track variances
• Improving recordkeeping methods and getting cooperation from other departments
• When do you know it’s time for a recount and who should do it
• What the auditors are looking for
• The final inventory report: Send accounting a report that’s easy to understand

"I now have a better idea of how to handle situations I'm faced with at work. Implementing what I've learned here will help things to run more smoothly."
K. Smith
Warehouse Supervisor

"It was absolutely worth my time ... Awesome wealth of knowledge in short amount of time."
L. Hansen
Admin Assistant
Delta Airlines

"The day was very informative. I was in need of motivation and received it."
A. Troescher
Admin Assistant II
Wayne Water Systems

"The instructor was very informative and kept my attention well!"
Kevin Puckett
CUI, Inc.

"Everything was presented in a clear manner and easily understood."
Josh England
Utility Trailer Sales
Cole County Commission