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SupplyPoint are due to make their first appearance at EMO 2021 in Milan after pandemic hits.

SupplyPoint presenterà i suoi nuovi prodotti a EMO Milano, la principale fiera mondiale per il settore della lavorazione dei metalli. Dal 4 al 9 ottobre 2021, SupplyPoint accoglierà i visitatori al loro stand G21A nel padiglione 2 per condividere i vantaggi della loro crescente gamma di prodotti di soluzioni intelligenti per la gestione dell’inventario.

Metalworking solutions on the cutting edge for managing its tools and components.

Using intelligent metalworking solutions is all about cost savings. This is the heart of the matter, whether you’re in manufacturing, MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations), warehousing, medical, or any of the myriad of fields where it’s applied.

In most cases, intelligent tool management is about the simple tracking of simple flows: where is your stuff going, who has it, and why do they have it? Items come into the system and then are taken out for use, never to return.

Why inventory management software?

For more and more companies an approach to maintaining control of key tools, consumables, and other items on the shop floor using vending machines and inventory management software has become an integral aspect of their overall business strategy.

Understanding Industrial Vending

Industrial Vending is not a phrase people would necessarily understand unless they work in an industrial environment. Typically, vending machines are associated with food or drinks dispensing in the wider context. However, those who are aware of industrial vending would first think of a hardware machine.

Cash is king in any business, including manufacturing. As we all know, inventory management is vital in lean manufacturing.

So minimising ‘working capital’ – the cash tied up in physical assets – should be high on the agenda for any manufacturer seeking to optimise efficiency and cashflow.

Central to doing that is ensuring best practice when it comes to managing shop-floor inventory: the components, tools and safety products which are vital to uninterrupted production.

PPE management and its use is the new normal as we are in a challenging period globally. COVID-19 has disrupted businesses worldwide. With reports in the news on the lack of PPE, PPE being overused or abused, it’s important to protect what seems a rare commodity. Communities are sewing masks at home and ‘pitching’ in but should we even need to do that?

Keeping the management of valuable assets secure and cost effective is one of the most significant challenges faced by organisations. The right product can address these challenges, not only by simplifying and streamlining asset management, but also by reducing costs associated with the misplacement and damage of assets. The Clear Front Locker from intelligent inventory solution leaders, SupplyPoint, provides flexible, secure and cost-effective inventory access for assets and supplies such as handheld terminals/barcode scanners, IT consumables and office supplies.

When I started working for SupplyPoint a year ago, I had no idea what a vending machine for tools was…well, I knew what a vending machine was, but I didn’t know what one looked like for cutting tools, MRO and PPE.

I remember the first time my now boss Mark Peers, showed me around our Rugby office and my eyes lit up. He laughed and said, ‘I didn’t think you’d really be interested in vending’ and I laughed and replied, ‘neither did I – why doesn’t everyone have one of these?!’