About the Session
As members of The Loop, LASSO customers not only have the opportunity to share and interact with their peers in the event space, but also are invited to exclusive events in-person and virtually, like our recent industry roundtable where we chatted about all things inventory. The group gathered to discuss inventory management in warehouse settings, with a focus on serialization and barcoding. The session included a panel of industry professionals sharing their experiences and insights on effective inventory management practices.
Meet Your Speakers
– John Barron, Community Manager at LASSO
– Steve Tanruther, Rock the House
– Chris Shelton, Event Point Productions
– Colby Collier, CNS Productions
– Ben Allison, Rock the House
Key Takeaways
Takeaway 1: Importance of having a consistent inventory system for efficiency and growth
The panelists stressed the need for a consistent inventory system that tracks every piece of equipment. Serializing every item, even cables and clamps, was strongly recommended.
Ben Allison of Rock the House said, “Serializing is one of the reasons that we were able to simplify some of that as well because we could check them right back in.” Colby Collier from CNS Productions added, “Our naming scheme is simple. It’s mostly about just being consistent across the board and making sure that it’s named in a way that everybody in the building can understand.”
Steve from Rock the House emphasized the need for patience and budget for setting up an inventory system, saying, “You need this much money and this much patience.”
Takeaway 2: The role of barcoding and RFID in inventory management
The panelists highlighted the importance of barcoding and the potential future role of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in inventory management. Barcoding, according to the panelists, provides increased accuracy, efficiency, and the ability to track where a specific item ends up.
Ben Allison noted, “The moment you can switch to fully serialized, you get rid of some of that tribal knowledge mentality.” Steve advised, “Do not put the length first in the name,” while Colby Collier mentioned, “We have printable stickers that we put on our cases in lieu of stenciling them, but that allows us to put a lot of data on there.”
Takeaway 3: Importance of warehouse organization
The panelists discussed the significance of warehouse organization in inventory management. They highlighted the benefits of designating areas in the warehouse, naming them, and arranging them such that staff can easily find what they’re looking for.
Chris Shelton from Event Point said, “I would say, regardless of your size, the faster you can designate areas in the warehouse, name them, classify them, arrange them, so people who walk in and may not know where stuff is can visually see what they’re looking for as quick as possible is super helpful.” Meanwhile, Ben Allison mentioned, “When it comes to the actual equipment, large items, stage decks, trusts, they’re pretty much, you know, they’re essentially cold storage items if you needed them to be.”
Insights surfaced
– Serialization of every inventory item, even non-typical serialized items like cables, can greatly improve tracking and accountability.
– The use of barcodes can enhance efficiency in inventory management. However, different types of barcodes might be needed for different items.
– The warehouse layout can impact inventory management. It’s important to have clear, designated areas in the warehouse.
– The naming scheme for inventory items should be consistent and understandable to everyone in the team.
– It’s beneficial to have at least two ways to identify a piece of gear in case one identifier (like a barcode) gets damaged.
