A job can’t run without materials. That necessity is part of why purchasing and ordering are so important, but they can have an even bigger impact on your shop. It’s critical your shop has a program for purchasing and ordering that can keep up. Otherwise, you could be spending too much money and sending out jobs late.
Purchasing Inventory
Whether your shop truly carries inventory or not, you need to know if you have certain materials when you receive a quote for a job. You don’t want to promise a due date that you can’t meet because you have to order materials. No one is happy when that happens. However, if you have an accurate and current inventory in your ERP system, you won’t have this problem. E2 has a mobile app for inventory, which means you can update inventory from anywhere in the shop.
Planning Lead Times
You want every job to leave your shop done well and on-time. It’s hard enough to make this happen without having to worry about lead times on materials. If you don’t have enough material on hand, you need to know how long it’s going to take to get more so you can give your customer a reasonable due date. With E2, lead times are readily available, so you don’t have to remember them or try to track them down. With accurate lead times, you can give accurate due dates and have happier customers.
Ordering Material Needed
No shop wants to tie up money in materials that sit on the floor and go unused. However, that’s exactly what can happen when you order materials based on an inaccurate count. If you order too much of something, especially if it’s not something you use often, that’s money sitting on your shop floor, gathering dust. With E2, you can see exactly how much material you need for any job, how much you already have, and how much you need to order. No more excess material sitting around. Instead, you’ll get the right amount for your job so you can spend that money on material for the next job.
With your purchasing and ordering squared away, your shop can flourish. Your bottom line will grow, there will be adequate materials, and your customers will all be happy they get their jobs on time. All of this puts your shop in a better position to bring in more jobs.
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