How to Protect Your Business Supplies and Equipment From Damage

If you've been in business any length of time, you'll know that every dime and every dollar needs to be accounted for. Supplies and equipment that gets lost, stolen, or damaged is effectively just money down the drain for a business.

So, what can you do to prevent this from happening?

That's where the art of inventory management comes in. The more you know about your business, its products and services, and the processes that use them, the more prepared you'll be to manage the assets that make up your business.

Protect Your Business Supplies and Equipment

Protecting your equipment and supplies properly will mean that your business is better organized, you can cut your warehouse costs, and your insurance premiums will be lower.

Good inventory management can turn a business around.

Here are a few actionable tips to get you started.

Get the Right Insurance Coverages for Your Business

Mistakes and accidents happen, and that's what you have insurance cover for. This is especially important if you store expensive equipment and items or have a high-value stockroom.

 

Do you know what will and won't be covered by your policy? Do you know what your limits are on certain items? If not, get an insurance broker to refresh you on what's covered so that you can understand where the gaps are in your coverage.

Place Sufficient Space Around Your Supplies And Equipment

Aisles and pathways are an important aspect of warehouse management.

 

As part of your inventory management, you'll want to make sure that there is sufficient space around each item in the storage space or storage area to allow people to work on it without causing additional damage.

 

Use markers or signage to indicate where items are stored and make sure everything is properly labeled. That way, when you have a team member asks where a specific item is, they can find it by following the labels consistently.

Instill A Culture of Safety in the Office or Factory

Awareness and education are the two most important elements of a successful safety program.

Your employees need to know what is safe, what isn't, and when not to touch certain items. They need to know how to ask questions about something that looks or sounds suspicious and what their rights are when making a complaint about an unsafe work condition.

Your employees should be trained on how to report suspicious behavior and personal injuries.

Make Sure You Have The Proper Maintenance Procedures In Place

There are a lot of different maintenance procedures that you can implement to make sure things like weapons, tools, and other instruments are safe.

Install a safe in your office if you have one. Make sure the equipment is properly maintained, and the locks are kept up to date.

Have a Proper Fire Safety Program

A fire safety program will help prevent fires.

Many types of items can be damaged by something like an explosion or ignition, so you'll want to make sure that your ventilation system is in good working order and that there are proper fire detection and suppression systems in place.

Get Your Inventory Management Right From Day One

Your current inventory management system needs to be streamlined.

Start with a small inventory management system and make changes as your needs change. It's hard to say how long it will take you to get the most out of the system, but it's not worth spending the time now on something that's hard to do well.

Store Supplies In Proper Large-Scale Warehouses

There's no point in buying up land just to store your equipment when you can get the same effect from renting a large-scale warehouse.

Small warehouses will work for some, but many small businesses will benefit from having and operating a standard, large commercial warehouse that can be configured for their needs.

What Should You Focus On?

If you're on a small budget, then don't worry about it. Set yourself up with a small inventory management system right away and start learning how to use it.

If you're a small business owner investing in inventory management, then you might want to consider getting a standard large-scale warehouse that can be configured to your specific needs.

Even if you're renting a space, make sure it's large enough to hold at least ten times the amount of inventory that your business is currently storing.

Always have more on hand than you think you'll need.

The Next Steps To Take

If you're ready to invest in better inventory management, then you should start by taking an inventory yourself of your business's stock.

If your business has a lot going on, then you might want to consider getting inventory management software that integrates with your accounting software so that you can be sure that you're able to keep track of everything.

Once you have your inventory management software in place and your inventory is recorded properly, you'll be able to use it to keep track of your stock and thus protect your supplies and equipment properly going forward.

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