Yea, that’s right I said it. We have tried so many different “ideas” to get the shop organized. Keeping it that way is another story. One of the biggest issues has been not knowing where things are when we need them. Now in our defense it’s been a crazy few years since the shop was built. For a while we actually lived in two different states and we were doing a complete build out of a local theater. So tools were being transported across state lines and or repurchased. Things were in storage or packed away in boxes. You get the idea. Once we had everything moved back into one state things didn’t get unpacked or they were “put away” just to get them out of boxes and in the building. Life. Gets. Complicated. Now it’s time to start thinking about getting some sort of control without having to spend a lot of money.
For a few years now we have talked about having an inventory system. So that we knew what we had. Even better would be if we knew where we had it. Enter Odoo a free software studio with everything you would need to a small business. In this case what I was looking for was an inventory system. It’s still in the trial stages but so far it looks good.
So what is it we are looking for?
- A way to keep track of everything we have even if it is still packed in a box or in storage.
- A system which locates where things are: 3″ wood screws are in cabinet X, box 1, bin AA
- Potential to use barcodes with a cell phone app scanner.
- Can handle inventory changes such as 5 oz. of Allumilite part A used 2/10/2023. It auto subtracts that amount when entered and calculates new inventory levels.
- Breaking down parts used to help establish costs on projects.
- Printing invoices.
- Running reports for low stock so we can bring in more before we are in the middle of a project.
- Running reports to track usage so that we can anticipate needs and stop purchasing things we never use but think we use.
- Inventory for insurance purposes just in case we ever need that, again.
- Being able to look up information while in the store so that we make sure to get the right thing. This means having access to it remotely.
- After creating a project supply list/cut list we can easily look at what we already have so that we only buy what we need. Also we can plan projects around what we currently have on hand.
Sounds like a lot and it is. Initially there will be a huge amount of time invested in entering everything into the system. But even before that happens there needs to be time developing a plan. Knowing what we have struggled with is just as important in knowing what we want. I hate not knowing which cabinet to start looking in. So for me I want all of the storage locations to have an identifier. The next thing I hate is not knowing which box or tub to start looking in. So I want every box or tub in that cabinet to have an identifier. We need to be better about being accountable when we take something out to use it. That is where having a scanner would be handy. Scan the barcode bring the inventory item up on the phone or tablet enter the amount you are taking or adding and get on with your day. At the very least there needs to be a system so that everything can be entered into the system at least once a week if not more. It all sounds a little OCD but I sometimes think that we spend more shop time looking for things than we do working on projects. Or picking things up. Or going to the store to buy something and then six months later finding that we already had it. Worst case is we just don’t go out to the shop because the idea of looking for things or having to go to the store is so frustrating that we just stay on the couch.
The trial started with seeds. We have a serious issue with buying seeds. So far it’s been easy to enter into. I can upload pictures to go along with the inventory item. (That will be huge when it comes to all the milled lumber and blanks. I can say we have a 8′ x 12″ piece of walnut but that doesn’t really tell me if that’s what I want to use on this project unless I see it.) The inventory can be exported to an excel sheet. I can copy text from other sources and add it to the notes. It’s searchable and you can limit based on key words. So far so good. Will keep you posted on the successes and on the fails of the system and how it works in the shop.
