Few things slow a packing bench down like stock numbers you can’t trust. A picker walks to a shelf that should be full and finds it empty. A customer orders something you sold out of yesterday. The last box runs out halfway through a rush. A good stock control system stops these moments before they start. At Complete Packaging, we handle stock control, picking, packing and delivery in-house, so we see every day how much smoother packing runs when the numbers are right.
A stock control system, sometimes called an inventory control system, tracks every item at each stage (arrival, storage, picking, packing and dispatch) so you always know what you have and where it is. We use inventory management software called Mintsoft, and each product is given a unique barcode when it arrives. You also get real-time tracking and remote, 24/7 access, so you can check your stock without picking up the phone. It’s part of our inventory management service.
Most packing delays come back to one thing: the stock you think you have isn’t the stock you actually have.
When products aren’t clearly recorded, pickers spend time searching instead of packing. A few lost minutes per order add up quickly across a busy day.
Your packaging is stock too. If the right box or filler runs short, orders stall even though the product is ready. Keeping your custom cardboard boxes and packing materials on your reorder list means packing never waits on a delivery.
Out-of-date stock levels mean accepting orders you can’t fill. That leads to apology emails, refunds and customers who may not come back.
Manual records drift. Small slips in counting and note-taking become stock discrepancies, and fixing them eats into time you’d rather spend growing your business.
A good system replaces guesswork with a clear picture, and you feel the difference at every step of packing.
Accurate stock levels show you what to reorder and when. Add a small amount of safety stock, which is a buffer for late deliveries or sudden demand, and you restock before anything runs out. Keeping your pick faces topped up works the same way, as we explain in our guide to pick face replenishment.
Scanning confirms each product as it moves through the warehouse, giving you clarity from arrival to dispatch. We pick more than 120,000 items a month at a 99.9% accuracy rate, so fewer wrong items reach your customers. It also makes each SKU far easier to track.
Our warehouses are designed so items are picked first in, first out, unless you tell us otherwise. That’s ideal for products with expiry dates, and it stops older stock being forgotten at the back.
Small and mid-sized businesses need a stock management system that grows with them, not one that gets in the way. Look for real-time tracking, remote access and a link to the places you sell. Our software connects with Shopify, WooCommerce and Amazon, so ecommerce inventory management doesn’t rely on spreadsheets.
Different stock control methods suit different businesses, which is why we build around yours instead of offering an off-the-shelf setup. Learn more about our Shopify and ecommerce fulfilment, or if you’re just starting out, our fulfilment for startups package includes free storage for an agreed time and free business mentoring.
Ready to trust your stock numbers again? Tell us how you pack today and we’ll show you how our stock control services could streamline it, starting with a no-obligation operations survey. Get in touch, call us on 01491 832222 or email sam@completepackaging.co.uk.
It removes the time spent searching, checking and correcting. Pickers know where each product is, barcode scans confirm it’s the right item, and live stock levels stop you accepting orders for products you don’t have.
A reorder point is the stock level that tells you it’s time to order more. Set it high enough to cover your supplier’s delivery time plus any safety stock, and you restock before you run out.
Cycle counting means counting a small part of your stock on a regular rota instead of closing down for one big stock take. Mistakes are caught sooner and packing carries on as normal.
Take the guesswork out of your packaging costs. Contact us now to schedule a no-obligation operations survey and discover how we can help optimise your business.
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sam@completepackaging.co.uk
Complete Packaging, Unit 10, Hikers Way, Crendon Industrial Park, Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, HP18 9RW
01491 832222
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