Inventory control software — know what you have, where, how much and when
Professional system for companies with multi-warehouse operations: real-time kardex, lot and expiration management, barcode, cycle counting, transfers, FIFO and average costing. Integrated with your sales, purchases, accounting, e-commerce and ERP. From the warehouse to the executive report.
Inventory is the most expensive asset of any company that sells physical products — and also where the most money is lost without anyone noticing: warehouse shortages, expired products nobody moved on time, excess stock freezing capital, petty theft, transport shrinkage, mismatches between what the system says and what's actually there.
Companies that control their inventory well have 1-3% difference between theoretical and physical. Those that don't, easily 8-15%. Against the total inventory value of a mid-size company, that gap represents a five-figure annual leak. Good inventory software pays for itself in 6-12 months just by stopping that loss.
Multi-warehouse
Central warehouse, branches, consignment, in transit, damaged, returns. Each warehouse with its own balance, no mixing.
Digital kardex
Each movement recorded: entry, exit, transfer, adjustment. Full traceability by product and by lot.
Barcode
Label generation and printing, scanning with USB/bluetooth scanner or phone, 1D and 2D codes, GS1-128 for traceability.
Lots and expirations
For dated products (pharmacy, food, chemicals). Automatic FIFO, expiration alerts, blocking of expired products.
Min and max
Low stock alerts by product/warehouse, replenishment suggestions based on sales history.
Inter-warehouse transfers
Request → authorization → dispatch → in transit → receipt → reconciliation. No losses along the way.
FIFO / average costing
Correct costs per chosen method. Automatic accounting impact with each movement.
Cycle counting
Scheduled partial counts (ABC), annual physical, adjustments with authorization. Without stopping operations.
Smart replenishment
Purchase order suggestion based on history, supplier lead time, min/max, seasonality.
Assemblies and kits
Products composed of others (dining set, food combo). Automatic component deduction when selling the kit.
ABC analysis
Automatic classification: 20% of products generating 80% of sales vs the rest. Management focus on what matters.
Warehouse mobile app
Receipt, dispatch, transfer, counting from phone or tablet with scanner. No paper or transcription.
- Distributors and wholesalers: high turnover, multi-warehouse, picking, packing, dispatch routing.
- Multi-store retail: central warehouse + stores, transfers, store-specific offers, fast-mover priority.
- Pharmacies and drugstores: lots, dates, controlled medications, prescription handling, integration with health insurance.
- Food and beverage: lot traceability, expiration dates, weight-based products, natural shrinkage.
- Manufacturing: raw materials → WIP → finished goods, BOM (bill of materials), kits.
- Hardware stores and construction: products by meter/kilo, high SKU variety, credit sales, customer current accounts.
- Importers: customs declaration control, import costing, tariff duties, in-transit goods.
- E-commerce: real-time sync with online store, marketplace integration.
- Auto parts: high SKU variety, interchangeability, warranties, returns.
Receipt is the entry point of inventory and where most errors that later appear as "mysterious" shortages or surpluses are generated. The process should be:
- Prior purchase order: the system knows what is expected, quantity, cost, lot (if applicable).
- Supplier arrival: the warehouseman opens receipt against PO with a scan.
- Physical count against PO: system marks what's received, alerts on differences.
- Lot and expiration capture: mandatory for products requiring it.
- Quality inspection: accepted/rejected with photos if damaged.
- Labeling: printing labels with internal code, lot, expiration, warehouse location.
- Warehouse putaway: system suggests location based on ABC, rotation or client rules.
- Automatic accounting entry: increases inventory, increases accounts payable.
Result: 0% unrecorded merchandise, lot traceability, correct costing from minute one.
Annual physical counting is painful: it paralyzes operations 1-3 days, requires the entire team, and ultimately generates large adjustments nobody can explain. The modern alternative is cycle counting:
- Distributed counting throughout the year: each product is physically counted at least once per year, in small groups.
- A products (high turnover): quarterly or monthly counting.
- B products (medium turnover): semiannual counting.
- C products (low turnover): annual counting.
- Without stopping operations: count one section/category at a time with automatic balance adjustments.
- Immediate differences: errors detected when investigation is still possible, not 6 months later.
- Indicators: accuracy by warehouse, by category, monthly trend.
Result: companies applying cycle counting well maintain accuracy above 98% sustainably. Those doing only annual physical rarely exceed 92%.
- POS: each sale deducts inventory in real time.
- E-commerce:Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Tienda Nube, Mercado Libre — real-time sync.
- Delivery platforms:Uber Eats, PedidosYa for restaurants, point-by-point stock management.
- ERP:SAP B1, Odoo, Microsoft Dynamics, custom systems — bidirectional.
- Accounting: each movement generates automatic accounting entry.
- Purchases: purchase order → receipt → invoice → payment, all chained.
- WhatsApp Business: seller notification when ordered product arrives for customer.
- Power BI / Tableau: executive dashboards on inventory data.
- Handheld scanner:Honeywell, Zebra, Datalogic. 1D for standard retail, 2D for DTE/QR.
- Industrial wireless gun:Zebra MC3300, Honeywell EDA51 — for warehousemen on the move.
- Thermal label printer:Zebra ZD230, TSC. Roll labels for products.
- Ticket / pick order printer:Epson TM-T20III or equivalent.
- Warehouse tablet: rugged, drop-resistant (Samsung Galaxy Tab Active).
- Connected scale:Toledo, Mettler for weight-based products.
- Server or cloud: depending on volume. For 5,000-50,000 SKUs cloud is enough. For larger volumes, dedicated server.
- Theoretical vs physical difference: from typical 8-15% to 1-3% in 6 months.
- Expired / obsolete products: 60-80% reduction with early alerts.
- Stockouts: 30-50% reduction with alerts and replenishment suggestions.
- Capital frozen in excess inventory: 15-30% reduction by adjusting maximums.
- Monthly inventory closing time: from days to hours with cycle counting.
- Dispatch errors: 70-90% drop with scan verification.
- Inventory turnover: 20-40% improvement by focusing on A products.
- Management visibility: real-time KPIs (turnover, days of stock, critical products) without waiting for closing.
Standard system
1-3 warehouses, up to 5,000 SKUs, basic barcode, POS or ERP integration. 4-8 weeks.
Enterprise multi-warehouse system
5+ warehouses, lots/expirations, cycle counting, mobile app, advanced reporting. 8-14 weeks.
Robust WMS for distributors
Optimized picking, locations, dynamic ABC, dispatch routing, fleet integration. 4-8 months.
Monthly maintenance
Support, updates, adjustments, new reports, new integrations.
What determines the cost of inventory control software?
Key factors are the number of warehouses, SKU count, whether lot and expiration tracking is required, whether barcode scanning and a mobile counting app are included, and whether the system needs optimized picking and dispatch routing like a full WMS. The number of integrations with POS, e-commerce, ERP or accounting also counts. Hardware — scanners, label printers, Zebra printers — is quoted separately. We deliver a fixed quote after a scoping session, at no charge.
How long does implementation take?
Standard system: 4-8 weeks. Multi-warehouse with barcode: 8-14 weeks. Complete enterprise WMS: 4-8 months. The longest part is always cleaning the product catalog and the initial physical inventory count.
Does it handle lots and expiration dates (pharmacy, food, chemicals)?
Yes. Each product can be managed by lot and/or expiration date, automatic FIFO (oldest moves first), expiration alerts (30/60/90 days), blocking sale of expired lots, full lot traceability for product recalls or claims.
Does it work with barcodes and scanners?
Yes. Generation and printing of barcode labels (1D Code 128, 2D QR, GS1), reading with USB and bluetooth scanners, GS1-128 barcodes for supply chain traceability, mobile phone reading for field operations.
How many warehouses and SKUs does it handle?
No technical limit. We work with clients from 1 to 50+ warehouses and from 500 to 500,000+ SKUs. Performance is maintained with good architecture practices. The real limitation is usually the client's process, not the system.
Does it integrate with my POS, e-commerce, ERP and accounting?
Yes. Each inventory movement (sale, purchase, transfer, adjustment) reflects in real time in POS, e-commerce (Shopify, WooCommerce), ERP (SAP, Odoo, Dynamics), accounting (Mónica, Excellence, custom) and delivery or marketplace platforms.
Is your inventory losing money without you seeing it? Request a free diagnostic and we'll show you specific improvement areas with detailed proposal in 7 business days.
