Managing your inventory is something you can’t afford to mishandle. Wasting time and money through outdated processes is a way to quickly ruin a business. The expression “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” doesn’t always make sense, especially when there’s an intelligent way to manage your inventory effectively using modern technology that’s both efficient and user-friendly.

Rugged tablets offer watertight seals, hardened glass, tough skins, reinforced frames and shock-mounts to protect internal components. They can’t be compared to a normal consumer tablet, which are more likely to break due to dust, water and weak screens that are notorious for breaking easily.

Here are some proven methods for lowering inventory costs using rugged tablet PCs that will help your business thrive.

Real Time Tracking

When you have expensive cargo, you can’t afford to leave anything to chance. GPS allows you to track the location of your cargo in real time.  Insurance costs are typically lower since if products are lost or stolen, they are more likely be recovered if the shipment has been tracked with GPS. Without proper tracking in place, the products could wind up anywhere.  Since the risk of loss is greater, insurance costs are also higher. With a rugged tablet, you can automate the tracking and reporting process that makes monitoring high-value products much safer, which in turn, makes your inventory costs much lower.

Merge-in-Transit

The last thing you need is to send multiple shipments when one would suffice. Most of your customers will prefer one delivery since it will save them time in the long run.  By using software on a rugged tablet that uses a merge-in-transit function, you can ensure two loads from different locations merge en-route to your customer’s location, which will then reach your customer as a single shipment.

Managing Orders

Paper-based systems for managing orders are incredibly outdated and inefficient. With a rugged tablet, you can check your stock levels without having to sort through endless piles of paper.  Using a rugged tablet, you can quickly access inventory for inspection while on the floor, which is a far cry from the alternative, which involves printing a checklist, marking it off and then manually updating the list on a computer at a workstation.

While consumer tablets may be cheaper initially, they will end up being more expensive in the long run since they are more susceptible to breaking due to dust and water.  Most aren’t built to withstand impact if dropped.  Rugged tablets, on the other hand, are built using components that make them more durable.  They have longer life-cycles and require fewer updates. Battery power can often last an entire shift.

When looking for ways to lower costs of your business inventory, sometimes sticking to the same-old isn’t the most strategic approach.  Yes, the thought of starting all over can seem daunting.  After all, it costs money to purchase new technology and time to train employees.  At the end of the day, however, it’s important to remember that technology is constantly improving and the longer your company waits to upgrade an old system, the further ahead your competition will get.

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