Varastonhallinta pk-yritykselle: perusasiat ja yleisimmät virheet

Inventory management directly affects a small business's cash flow: too much stock ties up money, too little leads to lost sales. In this article, we'll go through the basic practices of inventory management, common mistakes, and how an ERP system helps.

The impact of balances on money

Inventory balances have a direct link to cash flow:

Too much stock: capital is tied up in products that aren't moving. Storage, spoilage, and obsolescence costs increase.
Too little stock: delivery delays, lost sales, and dissatisfied customers.
Wrong type of stock: there is stock, but not what customers want.

A small business's goal is to have the "just right" inventory level: enough to meet demand, but no more than necessary.

Basic practices for effective inventory management

ABC analysis: categorize products by sales. A-products (20% of products, 80% of sales) require tight monitoring. C-products less so.
Alert limits: set a minimum level for each product, at which point an order is placed. This prevents stockouts.
Regular inventory: physical count at least quarterly. Balance errors are found and corrected.
Supplier management: clearly agree on delivery times and minimum orders. Long delivery times require a larger safety stock.
FIFO principle: oldest products are sold first (First In, First Out). Reduces spoilage.

Benefits of an ERP system in inventory management

Eemel ERP brings automation and transparency to inventory management:

Real-time balance tracking: instantly see how much of each product is in stock
Automatic alerts: the system notifies you when a product is running low
Sales and inventory connection: a sales order automatically reduces the balance
Reports: slow-moving products, spoilage, and turnover rate are clearly visible
Integration with accounting: inventory value is always up to date in the balance sheet

Lasīt vairāk about ERP project management in our project profitability article.

Monthly checklist for inventory management

"Check the balances of A-products and order if necessary"
"Go through alerts – are products running out?"
"Examine slow-moving products – should they be discounted or removed from the selection?"
"Check supplier delivery times – have they been met?"
"Perform a small-scale inventory at least for A-products"

"Practical example: e-commerce and overstocking"

"A small e-commerce store ordered products \"just to be safe\". The warehouse held several months' worth of stock, and capital was tied up in products, some of which moved slowly."

"Eemel ERP warehouse management implementation:"

"ABC analysis revealed that 15 products accounted for 75% of sales"
"Slow-moving products were sold at a discount – capital was released"
"Alert limits prevented A-products from running out"
"Capital tied up in inventory significantly decreased within six months"

"Try it in practice"

"Eemel ERP's warehouse management provides a real-time view of balances, alerts, and turnover rate. Keep inventory levels optimal."

"Try 14 days"

"Frequently Asked Questions"

"What is ABC analysis?"

"ABC analysis categorizes products based on sales. A-products (20% of products) account for approximately 80% of sales and require close monitoring."

"How often should inventory be taken?"

"At least quarterly, monthly for A-products. Eemel ERP facilitates inventory with balance comparison."

"What does an alert limit mean?"

"An alert limit is a product's minimum level, at which point the system notifies that more of the product needs to be ordered."

"Does inventory management integrate with accounting?"

"Yes. Eemel ERP automatically updates the inventory value to accounting."

"Can Eemel ERP be used without inventory management?"

"Yes. Eemel ERP is modular – you can use only project management, only inventory management, or both."

"Sources"

"This article is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice."