Stores Management & Stock Control

The Supply Function

• Stores
• Responsibilities
• Organisation
• Position of stores within the purchasing and supply organisation
• Relationships with other departments
• Materials management
• Logistics
• The supply chain concept
• The British standard guide to stock control

Identification of Materials

• Coding of materials
• Advantages of a coding system
• Code symbols
• Interpretation of codes
• Methods of coding
• Self-validating codes
• Organising a materials vocabulary
• Specification
• Bar coding
• Variety reductions
• Some widely used coding systems

Receipt and Inspection

• Expediting
• Receipts from suppliers
• Transfers from other storehouses
• Returns from production or other departments
• Scrap arising
• Inspection
• Vendor quality rating
• Marshalling receipts
• Receipt of capital items within the organisation

Issue and Dispatch

• Authorisation of issues
• Identification of requirements
• Timing of issues
• Methods of issuing stores for internal use
• Dispatch of goods outside the organisation

Records and Systems

• Purpose of stock records
• Manual systems
• Computerised systems
• Electronic data interchange
• Current developments

Materials and Accounting

• The value of stores in stock
• Basis of material costing
• Methods of pricing material
• Arrangement of stores accounts
• Provisions
• Control of stock by value
• Budgetary control
• Annual audit

Approach to the Provision of Materials

• Reasons for holding stock
• Dependent and independent demand
• Approaches taken in production organisations
• Differing stock control needs of construction, service and retail organisations
• The extent of stockholdings
• Ordering quantities
• Range
• Consignment stocktaking

Stock Control Techniques

• Provisioning
• Approaches to control
• Visual approaches to control
• Programming deliveries
• Ordering quantities
• The need for differential control
• ABC analysis classification of stock according to purpose
• Forecasting demand
• The use of probability in inventory control
• The setting of recorder levels
• The provision of safety stock
• Simulation
• Physical security
• Responsibility for stock
• Purpose of stocktaking
• Periodic stocktaking
• Continuous stocktaking
• Stocktaking procedure
• Treatment of discrepancies
• Obsolescence and redundancy
• Stock checking

Storehouses and Stockyards

• New stores buildings
• Large central storehouses
• Storehouses serving one factory or operating unit
• Hiring of storage accommodation
• Stockyards
• Construction of stockyards
• Stockyard facilities
• Buildings and enclosures within the stockyard

Stores Operations

• Security
• Knowledge of materials
• Prevention of deterioration
• Storehouse location systems
• Flow
• Departmental stores
• Work-in-progress stores
• Special storage facilities
• Centralisation of storage and central stores
• The assessment of stores efficiency
• The measurement of stores efficiency
• Redundant stock

Health and Safety

• European directives on health and safety at work
• Manual lifting
• The control of substances hazardous to health regulations
• Mechanical lifting
• Fire precautions

Storage Equipment

• Adjustable steel shelving
• Bins
• Pallets
• Racks
• Measuring equipment
• Ladders and steps
• Cleaning equipment
• General tools
• Live storage
• Automation of warehouse work

Materials Handling

• Benefits of proper materials handling
• Manual handling
• Mechanical handling
• Assessment of handling problems for mechanisation
• Hand-operated equipment
• Power-driven equipment
• The relationship of materials handling to transport

Procedures Manuals

• The need for procedure manuals
• Procedures
• Advantages and disadvantages of a manual
• Preparation of the manual
• Contents of the manual
• Publication and distribution
• Implementation of the manual
• Work study