Warehouse Cycle Counting and Inventory Management

How Cycle Counting Enhances Inventory Management

In this comprehensive guide, Logiwa discusses the nuances of warehouse cycle counting and inventory management. From understanding why inventory is your company’s lifeblood, to learning about different types of cycle counting methods and best practices, this article breaks down all the essentials of inventory control. As you navigate through the piece, you’ll discover how cycle counting can help maintain inventory accuracy, bolster operational efficiency, and ultimately contribute to the sustainable growth of your business.

Key Takeaways:

• Efficient inventory management is crucial as it directly impacts your operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and overall business growth.
• Inventory counting, particularly cycle counting, is an essential activity in inventory control. While physical inventory counting can be disruptive, cycle counting offers a more manageable approach and can be carried out on an ongoing basis.
• Cycle counting can be categorized into ABC analysis cycle counting, process control group cycle counting, and opportunity-based cycle counting. Each method has its own advantages and considerations, depending on your business’s specific needs and objectives.
• There are certain best practices for effective cycle counting, including maintaining up-to-date inventory data, scheduling regular cycle counts, alternating counting staff, and embracing automation to streamline the process.
• Inventory management systems can help automate the cycle counting process, thereby enhancing efficiency and reducing the chances of human error.

Inventory management is a pain, and rising consumer expectations driven by ecommerce are only making it harder. It’s no longer enough to have a well-run distribution strategy. In order to fulfill orders the same day or the next day, you have to know how to manage inventory across several locations. To further complicate the situation,  customers may expect to be able to order online and pick up in-store.

Even if your business isn’t expansive enough to create retail “flow centers” like Target or redesign your entire supply chain like Brooks Brothers, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of inventory management.

Why? Well, for several reasons, like:

• Your inventory is the lifeblood of your company. Take good care of it. No inventory means no goods to sell and no money to make.
• Proper inventory management keeps you operationally efficient, limiting the time and money spent on carrying costs like rent, heating, security, labor, and insurance.
• Customers are unforgiving. If you’re routinely out of inventory – or fail to fulfill an order as promised – they’ll go to your competitors.
• Your business can’t grow sustainably without good fundamental processes.

In other words, in order to get to the level of giant retailers like Target and Brooks Brothers, you have to understand basic inventory hygiene.

What is Cycle Counting vs. Physical Inventory Counting

A critical activity of inventory control is inventory counting. Counting your goods to ensure the final number matches up with your purchase orders helps you identify instances of loss or theft.

Of course, inventory counts are a huge undertaking and, when poorly done, they lead to inaccuracies, which defeats the purpose of the entire exercise.

Inventory counting can be divided into two styles: physical inventory counting and warehouse cycle counting, which happens on an ongoing basis. While a physical inventory – the all-encompassing count of a business’s entire inventory – is a comprehensive approach, it’s not always feasible. More often than not, companies must stall or completely halt operations in order to take a proper count. Moreover, a physical count may not properly identify the reason for inventory inaccuracies – it can end up being an expensive way of identifying the problem.

So, what is cycle counting? Cycle counting is an effective alternative to physical counting. While cycle counts present many benefits, they can be complicated. A physical count is a straightforward endeavor. As long as you have a map of your warehouse, assign workers to specific areas, and provide them with sheets to take their counts, your only concern is human error.

On the other hand, a cycle count relies on sampling, which means if the methodology is rotten, the sample won’t be any good either.

Fortunately, once you break down warehouse cycle counting, it’s a relatively manageable process to understand and carry out.

Why Does Warehouse Cycle Counting Matter?

Inventory counts happen for two purposes: accounting and operational efficiency.

The type of inventory counting method you pick will have pros and cons based on which purpose you prioritize. Ultimately, both purposes have one mega purpose – to protect the viability of the company. Categorically the former is concerned with value while the latter is concerned with service.

For example, your Chief Financial Officer may prefer the Pareto Method of cycle counting, which accounts for the value of goods, while your Chief Supply Chain Officer prefers cycle counting by usage only, which prioritizes goods that move most frequently regardless of value.

Understanding this difference will help you understand why different parties advocate for different methods. It’ll also help you make a decision about which approach is right for your business.

What Are The Types of Warehouse Cycle Counting?

Inventory cycle counting differs from physical counting because it counts sections of inventory and uses those sections to make an inference about the accuracy of the warehouse’s entire stock. Physical counting is an all-encompassing total count of everything in stock.

There are three main types of cycle counting:

• ABC analysis cycle counting
• Process control group cycle counting
• Opportunity based cycle counting

ABC Analysis Cycle Counting

ABC analysis cycle counting relies on a class system. The inventory manager, or inventory control system, conducts a statistical analysis based on specific factors to identify Class A items, Class B items, and Class C items. The A items are counted more frequently than the B items which are counted more frequently than the C items.

The variables used to determine how items are classed depends on what’s important to the warehouse. Generally speaking, there are three different types of ABC analysis cycle counting:

Pareto Principle-Based ABC Analysis

The Pareto Principle states that 80 percent of outcomes are due to 20 percent of causes. A supply chain manager runs an analysis to find which products produce the most value for the company. This value is determined by multiplying the cost of an item by its usage per period.

From an accounting point of view, this method protects inventory value and, therefore, the overall value of the company. Nevertheless, focusing too heavily on Class A items can lead to inaccuracies in counts of lower-class items.

Usage-Based ABC Analysis

The more inventory moves around, the more chances there are for items to go missing. Because of this, some warehouses prefer to employ a usage-based approach to their ABC analysis. Instead of making Class A the exclusive home of high-value items, they rank their inventory based on how frequently it moves. Therefore, if customers order a product often, even if it isn’t all that expensive, it’ll be counted more frequently.

The idea here is that these are the areas where inventory inaccuracies are more likely so, therefore, these are the areas that should have the most counts. From an operational point of view, this is a good approach. Multiple upset customers are harder to deal with than one upset customer, so ensuring your popular items are always on hand is smart. That said, from a financial point of view, failing to properly account for high-value items can be detrimental to the business.

Hybrid ABC Analysis

This approach incorporates the best of two worlds: automated statistical analysis and experiential adjustments.

As a starting point, the hybrid method uses the Pareto Principle to determine which items are generating the most value in your supply chain. This division of goods is not set in stone. Rather, the supply chain management team can adjust the classifications based on their observations.

This can be an advantageous approach if the classifications are only changed by specific individuals and after meeting certain criteria. Otherwise, there’s the risk that statistical methods will be completely abandoned for “gut feeling” adjustments that aren’t based on real data.

Process Control Cycle Counting

This method lets counters decide which sections they want to count. Counters look at the current inventory record to see if there are any discrepancies and, if there are any issues, they conduct a count.

According to the academic literature on process control counting, it is “controversial in theory, [but] effective in practice”. This is because, at first glance, employees can simply choose the easiest inventory to count and skip difficult inventory by relying on the existing record, if they wished. In practice, a review of the method found that while statistically the process control method is biased, in practice it’s biased towards inventory items with the highest chance of inventory inaccuracy, and these are the sections a warehouse wants to focus its attention on anyway.

Opportunity-based Cycle Counting

Opportunity-based cycle counting conducts inventory checks at key points in the process. Instances in which an opportunity-based cycle count may be conducted are when:

• An item is reordered
• An item is stowed
• An item’s balance drops below a predetermined threshold

The success of this method ultimately rests on how carefully a warehouse sets its “decision parameters.”

Warehouse Cycle Counting Best Practices

Without question, a cycle count sounds incredibly convenient. Who wants to shut down operations for a day when you can count while you work? But you also don’t want your cycle counting efforts to be purely ceremonial. What you’re aiming for is a process that helps you identify and eradicate inventory control issues. To do so, keep the following cycle counting best practices in mind.

Ensure Your Inventory Data is Up-to-Date

If you receive new inventory, be sure to enter it into your inventory management system. You’ll need accurate, up-to-date information if you want your cycle count to be a productive exercise. If you really dread the task of manual data entry, there’s technology that allows warehouses and retailers to automatically upload inventory data from their suppliers.

An Annual Physical Inventory Count

Cycle counting doesn’t eliminate the need for a physical inventory count – it just helps you maintain your inventory’s hygiene until the next big pass. If you haven’t been keeping up with your inventory management at all, don’t go straight into cycle counting. Conduct a physical inventory count so you have an inventory accuracy starting point.

Some companies have such tight procedures that their goal is to completely eradicate annual inventory counts and stick to continuous cycle counts. Unless your inventory accuracy is consistently above 95 percent, it’s best to keep your annual inventory count on the calendar.

Schedule Regular Cycle Counts

By nature, cycle counts are not a one-and-done proposition. They must be conducted routinely. While some operations conduct daily counts for specific SKUs, your bare minimum should be a quarterly cycle count (depending on the size of the count) with a goal towards a weekly count.

Putting it in the calendar – and sticking to it no matter what – will help embed the practice into your business’s standard operating procedures.

Prioritize Rather Than Eliminate Cycle Counts

Don’t have the resources to conduct your cycle count as planned? Don’t eliminate a scheduled count; simply prioritize. If you use an ABC analysis method, this will be rather straightforward since you’ll have the data and established hierarchy already. Otherwise, identify what the priority areas or trouble areas are and focus on those.

Randomly Alternate Between Counting Staff

Randomly alternating between counting staff limits the chances of theft or coordinated attempts to rig the count. That said, balance the need for loss prevention with risk management. Introducing inexperienced staff to the count can lead to losses in other ways.

For instance, inexperienced staff may not know how to use specific software or operate forklifts to count by weighing., Experienced counters will know how to navigate the warehouse and work more quickly and efficiently.

What is Cycle Counting Automation?

Inventory management systems are either manual or automatic. While many small- to medium-sized businesses employ manual or semi-manual processes, an increasing number of them are moving toward automation. As for large companies, you’d be hard pressed to find a physical count sheet anywhere in sight.

Automating warehouse cycle counting optimizes data management.

Typically, retailers or warehouse owners would have to manually upload inventory data to their system. With an inventory management system (IMS), data is transferred straight from the supplier’s system to your own automatically. When conducting a cycle count, it’s important to ensure your inventory data is up-to-date. Otherwise, your entire efforts are undermined. With an IMS, data is automatically updated, furthering your efforts.

Consider employing assistive technologies to take your cycle counting automation even further:

• Mobile Scanners and RFID Technology – Instead of handing your workers pens and count sheets, consider giving them mobile scanners. Here’s how it works: Each item has a SKU barcode. A worker scans the barcode and the information from the barcode is fed into the system. Not only is the count conducted automatically, but management can also easily pull a CSV file from the system if they need specific information. Mobile scanners make real-time management easier. If RFID is used, this competency is further enhanced.

• Robot Counters – While we’re still a little ways away from the widespread adoption of warehouse robots, it is something for inventory managers and supply chain professionals to keep an eye on. Walmart has started testing robots for inventory monitoring tasks in its stores.

Inventory management may feel like a curse, but cycle counting is a blessing. While comprehensive, physical counts provide an excellent overview of your warehouse’s inventory accuracy, they are disruptive and not something that businesses can feasibly do regularly. Cycle counting allows you to check on the health of your inventory control processes throughout the year. You can ensure you have what you need on hand to keep your customers happy and protect your bottom line.

If you’re ready to add a warehouse management software to streamline your inventory control, schedule your Logiwa demo today.

FAQs Related to What is Cycle Counting?

What is a cycle count in warehouse inventory management?

A: Warehouse cycle counting is an inventory management method where sections of inventory are counted on a continuous basis. It differs from physical counting as it doesn’t require counting the entire inventory at once. This process helps ensure inventory accuracy and is less disruptive to operations than a complete physical inventory count.

What is a cycle count used for?

A: Warehouse cycle counting is vital for inventory control and operational efficiency. By counting parts of your inventory regularly, you can identify and rectify any discrepancies promptly. This helps maintain accurate inventory records, which can reduce carrying costs and improve customer satisfaction by ensuring that you always have enough stock to meet demand.

What are the different types of warehouse cycle counting?

A: There are three main types of warehouse cycle counting: ABC analysis cycle counting, process control group cycle counting, and opportunity-based cycle counting. ABC analysis divides items into three classes (A, B, and C) and counts them with different frequencies. Process control cycle counting allows counters to choose which sections to count based on current inventory records. Opportunity-based cycle counting conducts checks at key points in the process such as when an item is reordered, stowed, or drops below a certain threshold.

What are some best practices for warehouse cycle counting?

A: Best practices for warehouse cycle counting include ensuring your inventory data is up-to-date, scheduling regular cycle counts, prioritizing counts when resources are limited, and alternating counting staff to prevent potential theft or inaccuracies. Utilizing automated inventory management systems and mobile scanners can also streamline the cycle counting process.

Can warehouse cycle counting replace a full physical inventory count?

A: While cycle counting is a more efficient and less disruptive way to maintain inventory accuracy, it does not completely eliminate the need for an annual physical inventory count. However, companies with highly accurate inventory management systems may aim to rely solely on cycle counts. For most businesses, it’s recommended to keep an annual physical inventory count on the calendar, especially if your inventory accuracy is not consistently above 95 percent.

How can technology support warehouse cycle counting?

Technology can significantly enhance warehouse cycle counting. Inventory management systems can automate data management, updating inventory data straight from the supplier’s system. Mobile scanners can facilitate counts by scanning SKU barcodes and feeding information directly into the system, making real-time management easier. In the future, the adoption of warehouse robots may further automate inventory counting processes.