Smart Inventory Management Systems: Real-Time Control for Manufacturers and Distributors

Despite technology improving, managing inventory is still one of the biggest challenges for manufacturers and distributors. Many ERP systems offer inventory features but often lack the industry-specific focus needed to perform. 

Without the right tools, businesses face inaccurate stock levels, fulfillment delays, and higher carrying costs. Managing multiple locations, maintaining safety stock, and optimizing warehouse space becomes harder without real-time visibility. 

Smart inventory management systems, like Epicor Kinetic ERP for manufacturing and Epicor Prophet 21 ERP for distribution, solve these problems. They provide real-time inventory tracking, connect warehouse operations to business processes, and support growth without adding complexity.  

Epicor Inventory Management: Real-Time Visibility and Control 

Smart inventory management starts with knowing where your stock is at all times. Epicor ERP gives manufacturers and distributors real-time inventory tracking, helping you manage stock levels accurately across multiple locations. 

With Epicor, inventory control becomes proactive, not reactive, making it easier to scale operations as your business grows. 

Real-Time Inventory vs. Manual Tracking: What Changes 

Manual inventory tracking leads to stock inaccuracies, missed reorders, and slow fulfillment. Without real-time visibility, you react to problems instead of preventing them. 

Epicor’s real-time inventory tracking updates stock levels automatically as goods move through your supply chain. This reduces carrying costs, ensures you meet safety stock targets, and helps you fulfill orders faster. 

Real-time data allows teams across locations to see inventory status instantly, improving both planning and customer satisfaction. 

RFID Inventory Tracking: Boosting Accuracy 

Epicor integrates seamlessly with RFID inventory tracking and barcoding systems. RFID tags capture inventory movements automatically, improving accuracy without adding manual steps. 

This smart inventory management system reduces human error, streamlines warehouse operations, and speeds up audits. Businesses also gain better control over raw materials, finished goods, and in-transit stock. 

By using RFID technology, manufacturers and distributors create a faster, more reliable inventory system with fewer mistakes and lower holding costs. 

Smart Inventory Management Practices That Deliver Results 

Smart inventory management goes beyond tracking stock. It means using technology and best practices to lower costs, improve warehouse operations, and scale efficiently. 

Epicor’s ERP solutions help manufacturers and distributors automate inventory processes, optimize stock levels, and minimize holding costs. 

Inventory Automation: Lowering Holding Costs 

Manual inventory processes often cause overstocking, stockouts, and wasted warehouse space. Epicor’s inventory automation changes that. 

The tools predict stock needs based on real-time sales, supplier lead times, and production cycles. This helps reduce carrying costs, manage safety stock efficiently, and avoid excess finished goods inventory. Automating reorder points also improves cash flow by minimizing inventory investment without risking customer satisfaction. 

Plus, users are always in control of the parameters behind the suggestions and can tailor these, as needed, for specific scenarios. Having the recommended suggestions as a starting point makes the process much smoother and allows you to identify and prioritize tasks as required quickly. 

Stock Management Best Practices: Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) and Safety Stock 

Epicor supports stock management strategies like Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) and dynamic safety stock levels. 

By applying EOQ models, businesses can balance ordering costs with carrying costs to optimize inventory size. Dynamic safety stock settings ensure supply chain disruptions don’t impact the ability to fulfill orders. 

Using these best practices helps manufacturers and distributors maintain good inventory levels across multiple locations while keeping inventory costs low. 

Warehouse and Supply Chain Optimization: Streamlining Operations 

Epicor ERP systems help businesses redesign warehouse layouts, improve material flows, and streamline shipping and receiving. 

Features like wave picking, cross-docking, and value stream mapping make moving raw materials, components, and finished goods easier across the shop floor and warehouse. 

With better warehouse and supply chain optimization, businesses reduce operational costs, lower holding costs, and fulfill orders faster, boosting overall customer satisfaction. 

Connecting Inventory to the Entire Business Process 

Smart inventory management is not isolated. It connects directly to sales, finance, production, and supply chain operations. 

Epicor’s ERP software integrates inventory management across all business processes, helping manufacturers and distributors work faster, smarter, and more accurately. 

Business Process Integration: Finance, Sales, Operations 

Disconnected systems create data silos, slowing down operations and decision-making. Epicor’s integration ensures that inventory data flows across finance, sales, and operations in real time. 

Finance teams gain accurate inventory valuation, sales teams access real-time stock availability, and production teams align raw material needs with manufacturing schedules. 

Everyone in the company has their own area in which they are experts. The ability to communicate between departments and share information in each other’s language makes the entire process much more streamlined, efficient, and accurate. 

This seamless flow improves efficiency, reduces manual data entry, and helps businesses fulfill orders on time while reducing inventory costs. 

Inventory Management Software: Connecting Types of Inventory for Full Visibility 

Epicor inventory management software gives businesses complete visibility into all types of inventory: raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods. 

This smart inventory management system helps maintain optimal stock levels across multiple locations while supporting customer satisfaction goals. 

By connecting every type of inventory into one real-time view, businesses gain better control over their supply chain, minimize stockouts, and improve overall service levels. 

Epicor ERP systems: Designed for the Manufacturing and Distribution Industries 

Not all ERP systems understand the specific needs of manufacturers and distributors.  

Out of the box, Epicor software delivers a robust solution for just about any manufacturer and distributor. While it is also highly customizable, the innate processes designed as the defaults provide a huge array of options for these industries. Epicor stands out for ease of use and intuitiveness. 

Epicor Kinetic and Epicor Prophet 21 provide smart inventory management systems that support complex supply chains, multiple warehouse locations, and diverse product lines. Their industry focus means businesses get the tools they need to scale operations without the limitations of a generic ERP system. Let’s have a little recap. 

Epicor’s Inventory Management for Manufacturers 

Epicor Kinetic ERP is ideal for the manufacturing industry. It helps manufacturers: 

  • Optimize inventory levels 
  • Lower carrying costs 
  • Manage safety stock  

All of this is done without sacrificing production speed or quality. Real-time insights also support better production planning and faster fulfillment of orders. 

Epicor’s Inventory Management for Distributors 

Epicor Prophet 21 offers real-time inventory tracking, warehouse optimization tools, and supply chain visibility to meet these needs. This ensures faster order fulfillment, lower holding costs, and greater customer satisfaction. 

Take Control of Your Inventory Today 

Whether you need to lower carrying costs, optimize stock levels, or improve customer satisfaction, Epicor Kinetic and Prophet 21 deliver the tools you need. 

TeccWeb can help you get the most out of your ERP system. Our team ensures your inventory processes are aligned, optimized, and built for long-term success.