Advanced Netting is buoyed by improved stock visibility
Barcode stock control implementation puts Advanced Netting on a footing for growth
Barcode Stock Control – Advanced Netting is a supplier of commercial fishing gear, including floats and lines, braided ropes, tangle nets and also netting for a range of non fishing uses, including sports, like cricket and golf and also netting for fruit cages and anti-bird netting. The business is based in Clacton on Sea and serves the local fishing community as well as operating a successful online web shop.
The team at Advanced Netting had experienced some picking errors on dispatch leading to customer frustration and increased workload for the order processing team. With a large and varied stock holding and an increased number of daily orders to manage, it was clear that an automated barcode stock management solution was the answer.
Managing Director Peter Barrett said, “Our business has expanded since we were first formed in 2010 and now operates over two sites, as well as online via our web shop. We were looking for a better way of managing our stock to allow us to meet the increased demand without reducing our service or dispatch speed. It was also important that the chosen solution would be straight forward to implement and use, and wouldn’t require too many changes to our existing processes”
Advanced Netting looked at a number of barcode-based stock control solutions and, after careful consideration, selected ConnX Business Solutions as their chosen package.
Peter says “We had immediate confidence in the ConnX Stock solution from the very first time we were shown it. Our team could see immediately how easy the software was to use and were reassured by the teams understanding of the support needs of a small business. We were confident that we would be in safe hands”.
Prior to implementation the Advanced Netting team spent a little time tidying up their product records in Sage. Peter says “We cleared out some old stock codes and tidied up our descriptions, so we were able to start with good data, and then we imported the records into ConnX Stock. The ConnX team recommended our first step should be to perform a complete stock take using the software to ensure we went forward with accurate figures from day one. This also allowed us to barcode all our stock and start using barcode scanning from the start”.
Peter continues “We chose remote installation and training to keep the cost down, but in the end that was a great choice because we could access support whenever we needed it over the first few weeks, without having to try and squeeze all the training into one day. In fact we still make use of the support available from ConnX. Nowadays we don’t need a lot of help but if we ever get stuck we know there is someone at the end of the phone who always has the answers”.
When asked what specific functions of ConnX Stock have been most useful Peter said “The ability to see what stock of a specific item we have and be able to trust the figure and know if I go to the stock location it will be there. It seems so simple but it really does make our whole team much more dynamic. No more running into the stores or having to make a phone call to check we can fulfil a customer order. Also, the fact that stock is barcoded now means that we are not accidentally sending the wrong item out for an order. That means less time dealing with returns and replacement orders. Implementing ConnX stock when we did has put our business on a stable platform to allow us to grow”.
ConnX Stock is Barcode Stock Management software designed to integrate directly with Sage 50 Accounts Professional. Core functions include barcode goods receipt and dispatch, stock taking and multi-location stock management. Modules are available for batch, serial, and data control, as well as manufacturing, field and trade counter sales, forecasting and courier integration.
To find out more about how ConnX Stock could help your business email enquires@connx.co.uk or call 0845 649 2950