Knowing how to secure inventory in warehouses is a vital part of protecting your premises. Whether you’re running a bustling warehouse or just starting out, the security of your assets is crucial. Inventory is the lifeblood of any warehouse operation, and protecting it is key to your business’s success.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through practical steps and strategies you could use to fortify your stock against theft, damage, or loss and dive into the world of warehouse and inventory management.
What Is Warehouse Inventory?
Warehouse and inventory management is all about the way stock or products are tracked and managed within a warehouse. Knowing what kind of valuable assets you have will allow you to make informed decisions when it comes to how you secure inventory in warehouses. It will also help you decide on what warehouse security to put in place.
This process allows a business to operate efficiently and stay on top of its warehouse inventory.
Warehouse inventory includes the raw materials, parts, or finished materials that the company wants to sell. But why are they important?
1. These assets are valuable because they generate money.
2. Assets help to increase the value of your business.
3. They help ensure the business runs smoothly.
4. Having inventory assets can lead to increased customer satisfaction, as products are less likely to be sold out.
Inventory Management System For Warehouse
Warehouse and inventory management is a powerful way to stay on top of your assets. Keeping track of your business’s warehouse inventory is vital, as it helps you stay on top of things, including the products you have available and their location. Although this can seem like a daunting task, there are things you can put in place to help manage your inventory assets.
These systems serve as the backbone of efficient stock control and a way to help secure inventory in warehouses. They have the ability to offer a digital solution to track, monitor, and manage stock in real-time. So, what kind of inventory management systems for warehouses are available? Let’s take a look…
Asset Management System
An asset management system allows a business to manage and monitor all of its assets. Having a management system in place will help you stay organised and keep on top of your warehouse and inventory management.
This can be helpful as it provides you with the ability to track down products faster and can reduce the number of duplicate orders and asset audits required. The process can also reduce costs with its ability and accuracy to track lost items.
Another benefit of using these systems to secure inventory in warehouses is that they can alert business owners to order any parts or equipment that they are running out of in advance. This means the manufacturing process can continue to flow and limits downtime.
Asset Management Software
Even better, there is also asset management software available to help you with this process. The software serves as a comprehensive tool designed to track, organise, and maintain a warehouse’s physical assets and equipment.
When it comes to warehouse and inventory management, these assets can range from forklifts and machinery to technology systems, racks, and even individual inventory items. This software provides a centralised platform where all information about a premises’ assets is stored, enabling easy access and management.
This kind of warehouse inventory software keeps track of details, like where assets are, whether something needs fixing, and how much it’s worth. With the ability to see everything you’ve got at any time, implementing this software also helps prevent things from getting lost or used in the wrong way by using trackers and helping to secure inventory for warehouses.
Security Measures In Warehouse
Implementing effective warehouse security measures is a top priority when working to secure inventory in warehouses. Not only do they help protect valuable assets, but they also allow a business to maintain smooth operations.
Implementing effective security measures is key to safeguarding against theft, damage, or unauthorised access. They serve as a proactive defense, instilling confidence throughout the business that their goods are in safe hands.
Protecting your warehouse inventory is a crucial step in securing your business. But where do you start? What kind of security measures can you utilise in your warehouse and inventory management? Take a look at our suggestions below…
Perimeter Protection
When it comes to how to secure inventory in warehouses, Perimeter protection serves as a powerful first barrier in shielding assets from external threats. By establishing robust physical boundaries around the warehouse premises, such as sturdy fencing and controlled entry points, this form of security acts as a critical line of defense. Benefits of perimeter protection include preventing criminal activity such as theft and preventing unauthorised access to your warehouse.
Locked Room Or Security Cages
Locked rooms or security cages are a powerful tool to implement within your warehouse and inventory management. They act as fortified zones dedicated to safeguarding high-value or sensitive inventory.
By restricting access to these locked rooms or cages, warehouses can effectively control and limit the number of individuals who have permission to enter. This minimises some of the security risks to warehouses such as theft, and acts as an extra layer of protection.
Security Guards
Security guards play a pivotal role in safeguarding warehouses by providing a dynamic and proactive security presence. Their physical presence serves as a deterrent to potential intruders, enhancing the overall security of the premises.
Their presence, coupled with their expertise in security procedures and protocols, contributes significantly to maintaining secure inventory in warehouses and protection for a secure environment.
Why Is Warehouse And Inventory Management Important?
Warehouse and inventory management form the backbone of a successful supply chain, playing a pivotal role in the efficient operation of businesses across all kinds of industries.
Efficient management ensures optimal use of space and resources for inventory security. For example, it maximizes storage capacity, minimises clutter, and facilitates easier retrieval of items. It also helps provide accurate warehouse inventory management by preventing overstocking, allowing timely order fulfillment and improving customer satisfaction.
Effective management practices also enhance inventory visibility and traceability. This allows businesses to monitor stock movements, identify trends, and react promptly to changes in demand or market conditions. Having secure inventory in warehouses also leads to increased traceability, which can be crucial for areas such as product recalls, and quality control.
Warehouse Inventory Tracking System
Tracking warehouse inventory effectively is the backbone of seamless operations and reliable stock management. Having a robust system in place to monitor and track assets ensures accuracy, minimises errors, and optimises the flow of goods within the warehouse.
There are a number of methods available to enhance the security of inventory in warehouses. Check out our top tips below:
Warehouse Management System (WMS)
Firstly, consider using a digital Warehouse Management System to count inventory automatically. By using advanced technologies and streamlined processes, it can provide real-time visibility and control over inventory movements and stock levels.
Efficient inventory management systems work by updating inventory counts automatically as goods are received, stored, or shipped ,while their reporting functions mean valuable insights can be gained into inventory trends and turnover rates. This real-time data ensures accuracy in stock levels, minimising errors and reducing the likelihood of stock issues within your warehouse and inventory management.
Radio-Frequency Identification Gates and Tags (RFID)
RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) technology is a powerful asset inhelping to secure inventory in warehouses. RFID gates and tags offers enhanced tracking capabilities and aids in securing warehouse inventory.
RFID tags can be attached to items, products, or containers, and each tag holds a unique identification code, RFID gates, on the other hand, are sensor-based systems strategically placed at entry or exit points within warehouses or storage facilities.
In essence, the implementation of RFID gates and tags within warehouse and inventory management enhances the level of protection. It enables real-time tracking, automatic inventory counts, and detailed visibility into inventory movements. Alongside physical security measures, this technology acts as a powerful deterrent against potential crime and streamlines the inventory management processes.
CCTV Monitoring
Another way to help secure inventory in warehouses, is to install CCTV cameras. The presence of visible cameras acts as a strong visual deterrent, discouraging theft, vandalism, or unauthorised access within the warehouse premises.
One benefit CCTV camera have for warehouse and inventory management, is that they provide real-time surveillance. This helps with immediate detection and response to any potential security threats, helping to secure valuable inventory. CCTV monitoring also fosters a safer working environment for warehouse employees. It can help in identifying potential hazards and monitoring employee activities for their safety and security.
Their proactive monitoring capabilities, deterrence factor, and potential for aiding investigations make CCTV cameras a vital component in securing warehouse inventory and maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Warehouse And Inventory Management: Your Checklist
Help protect your business and save money by implementing these steps from our warehouse security checklist:
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Frequent Testing
When was the last time you checked your warehouse management software? Are your employee’s RFID keyfobs working correctly? Keep testing your warehouse inventory security measures to ensure everything is working as it should.
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Assess The Risks
Risk assessments are typically carried out annually. However, by monitoring your business on a regular basis, you can keep on top of any potential weak points in your warehouse and inventory management and act on these.
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Next Steps
Consider other measures you could put in place to increase the security of your warehouse inventory. From security cameras to limiting access to areas such as the security cages, think about what steps you could take to secure inventory in warehouses.
So, How Do You Manage Warehouse Inventory?
Knowing how to secure inventory in warehouses is vital in protecting your business. Being aware of the security measures available means you can decide on the best way to protect inventory for your business.
You can keep up to date with the latest warehouse security news, by reading more of our articles. You can explore topics such as what security measures should be taken in a warehouse and our top 12 warehouse safety tips.
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