About Lock Stock
Lock Stock consists of a robust database that can be accessed via a web interface on any modern, web enabled device.
Our Stock Management Philosophy
Based on our experience, we believe that a robust stock management system should:
- Be as simple as possible
- Be easily accessible
- Be secure
- Be flexible
- Produce useful/accurate output
Effective stock management is a balancing act. Lock Stock can allow users to track the movement of every staple within a busy office environment if desired but, fast as it is, we cannot imagine an environment where stopping to record the use of each staple as it is used would be practical. Before putting any stock management system in place it is important to consider what you hope to achieve and whether it is going to be practical in the long term to maintain the data structures that you create.
Our stock management experience has focused on medication, retail goods, office and janitorial supplies. In these environments we value a system that can provide answers to such questions as:
- Do we have any red size 9 dog collars in stock?
- What are we currently paying for our A4 copier paper?
- What is the total value of stock sitting in our stock room?
- How has weekly shop profit changed since we increased our prices?
- Do we have any toilet paper on order?
- When were cat flea treatments last stock checked and by who?
- What is the staff price for a large sack of cat litter?
- Which product lines are being poorly managed?
The database that Lock Stock uses makes it relatively simple to update cost prices from supplier provided spreadsheets, text files and web resources but some technical knowledge is required to take advantage. As required, where suppliers provide suitable resources, we intend to add plugins to allow bulk updating of pricing information. At RSPCA Sheffield our two largest suppliers readily supplied the necessary resources and the plugins were simple to construct. Where this is not possible we advise checking the prices on your invoices against the prices on Lock Stock and updating them when they differ.
How to use Lock Stock?
Lock Stock can be used simply as a tool to make stock taking easy. You can create records of the products that you wish to stock take and use Lock Stock's fast, efficient interface to record the stock levels observed. This will provide periodic snapshots of your inventory but little else.
If it is practical to record the movements of your products, such as arrivals from suppliers, customer/staff sales, disposal etc then Lock Stock allows you to check for available stock from any web enabled device.
If it is practical to record and maintain the cost prices of the products that you stock then Lock Stock also becomes an accurate record of the value of stock you hold and the value of stock being lost to mismanagement/theft.
If you are able to record and maintain the retail prices of the products that you stock then the system also becomes a tool for reporting profit over time, providing valuable feedback on you performance. Lock Stock includes tools that make updating your retail prices relatively simple.
Interested?
Try out our online demo (Google account required).
To find out more contact [email protected].