Inventory management for technical wholesale and installation companies with Exact Online
Technical wholesalers and installation companies face a unique inventory management challenge: stock is not only in the warehouse but also in service vans, on construction sites and at customer locations. Exact Online offers the ability to manage multiple warehouses and locations, but without a mobile scanning solution, it is virtually impossible to keep stock accurate across all these locations. The Barcode Scan App brings the change needed.
The challenges of technical trade and installation
Mobile stock in vans and on job sites: Installation companies and technical service providers have stock spread across multiple locations outside the central warehouse. Technicians take materials in their service van and consume them on-site. Without registration, the overview in Exact Online is quickly lost: the warehouse thinks material is still there, while it has already been consumed.
Material consumption without formal orders: In the technical sector, materials are often consumed without a formal sales order attached. A technician replaces a part at a customer and takes the material from their van. In Exact Online, this needs to be registered, but in practice, this often happens days later — if it happens at all.
Large assortment with low turnover: Technical wholesalers often have a very broad assortment with many items that have low turnover rates. Small bolts, nuts, fittings and connectors in dozens of variants. It is essential to pick the correct item, because variants look visually similar but are not interchangeable.
Pick location replenishment: Many technical warehouses work with a system of bulk storage and pick locations. When a pick location runs empty, it must be replenished from bulk stock. This process must be registered in Exact Online to keep location stock accurate.
Van stock and mobile warehouses in Exact Online
The Barcode Scan App makes it easy to manage mobile stock in Exact Online. Create a separate warehouse in Exact Online per service van or per technician. When materials are transferred from the central warehouse to a van, you register this with a scan as a warehouse transfer in Exact Online.
The technician always has insight into current van stock on their smartphone. When they consume material on-site, they scan the product and register the issue directly in Exact Online. This keeps van stock always up to date and the central warehouse knows exactly when a van needs to be restocked.
Booking materials in and out without an order
For situations where materials are consumed without a formal order, the Barcode Scan App offers the ability to book items in or out without an order in Exact Online. This is ideal for:
- Material consumption by technicians on-site
- Internal consumption of office or consumable materials
- Corrections and write-offs of damaged items
- Samples and test materials
The employee scans the item, enters the quantity and selects a reason for the mutation. Stock in Exact Online is updated immediately.
Pick location replenishment
Replenishing pick locations from bulk stock is a daily task in many technical warehouses. The Barcode Scan App streamlines this process:
Scan the item that needs replenishing. The app shows the bulk location where the item is stored and the pick location that needs replenishing. Scan the source location, scan the target location, enter the quantity and the warehouse transfer is processed directly in Exact Online. Both locations are up to date again.
Accurate picking of visually similar items
In technical trade, many items look alike. An M8x30 bolt and an M8x35 bolt are visually almost indistinguishable, but for the customer it makes all the difference. With barcode scanning, you eliminate these mix-ups. The employee scans the item and the app checks whether the correct product is being picked for the order in Exact Online. If there is a discrepancy, a warning follows immediately.
Benefits for technical trade and installation with Exact Online
- Up-to-date van stock: Mobile warehouses in Exact Online are updated in real time via barcode scanning.
- On-site material consumption: Technicians register consumption directly with their smartphone, no more paper lists.
- Fewer picking errors: Scan verification prevents mix-ups of visually similar items.
- Efficient replenishment: Pick locations are replenished quickly and accurately with registration in Exact Online.
- No expensive hardware: The app works on any smartphone — ideal for technicians who already carry a phone.
Conclusion
Technical wholesalers and installation companies face unique challenges: mobile stock, material consumption without orders, a broad assortment and complex replenishment processes. The Barcode Scan App for Exact Online offers a practical solution for all these challenges. With barcode scanning on a smartphone, employees register every stock mutation directly in Exact Online — whether they are in the warehouse, in the service van or at a customer site.
Discover how the Barcode Scan App can help your technical business. Try it free for one month.