Tracking Reload Inventories Online

A major challenge in the reload industry is to track multiple inventories at one location in a timely fashion. Customers typically hold a variety of species and dimensions, which requires space and proper tagging procedures when the product arrives.

In addition, dealers and wholesalers want to have timely information at their fingertips as to what is on the ground and how long it has been there. This is market-driven. and also to satisfy the buyer's appetite to know that their products are being handled properly.

Typically, inventories on the ground are counted and reported once a month and summaries sent to the customer a few days later. The time it takes to physically count the entire inventory limits yards to once a month. Yet. with the increasing demand for up to date information, customers need summaries of their inventory weekly and perhaps even daily. This puts a high demand on your staff.

In this day and age of doing much of your business and personal transactions on the Internet, why not set up customer access to their inventory the same way? North American Reload, Cloverdale. B.C.. had its inventory systems staff contact its Web page programmer to download the inventory data base to its Web site.

Now, its customers have the ability to view their inventories online 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The data is entered to the computer as soon as the lumber arrives at the reload to enable the customer to view data that is current and correct. This is achieved by tagging all units of lumber with a bar code unless it has a bar code from the source.

A unique identifier on each package allows the inventories to be divided up by customer. When they log on to the Web page with their own ID and password, they can view what they have on the ground at their convenience. This allows customers to identify units that are getting too old, and see when an item is overstocked.

"In the current climate of the lumber world, customers need an edge to be competitive and this ability to know what they have, and where they have it, gives them exactly that," said

North American Reload president Bradley Clarke.

The company introduced its online inventory last year for one of its cedar customers due to the complexity of the grades. "It had such a dynamic impact on them that we extended it to all of our customers," Clarke said. "Now, we are getting business simply due to this service."

Increasingly, wholesalers are working from home and on the go, so the ability to view their inventory on the road can help sales immensely. Even when working from the office, support staff may be bogged down with the never ending piles of paperwork that are involved when trading lumber, and too busy to answer an inventory question. Whether the trader can log on and view what is on the ground can be the difference between getting or not getting an order.

Correct and timely inventory information is a key to successful lumber trading. To have live access, at any time, to what you have on the ground is both helpful and vital to make good business decisions on a daily basis.

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Masonite agrccd to purchasc Stanley Works' residential cntry door unit tur $ 160 million.

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Uones

Ed Kelly. 77. co-tirundcr of Kclly Bros. Lumbcr Co., Covington, Ky.. clicd of pancrc.rtic cernccr Dec. l0 in Fort Lauderdalc. Fl.

Mr. Kelly scrved in thc Arrny dulin-'l World War II and participated in thc liberation of the Dachau prison calnp as a rncmber of the.l2ncl Rainbolv Division. 222 lnfantry. Cornpany M.

ht 1941 he bought a lun'rberyard ivith his father and his tr'vo brothers. He rnanaged thc stall'and coorclinated projccts rvith architccts.

Mr. Kelly retirccl in 1985.

Mildred E. Sanderson, 8-5, firrn.rcr co-owncr of Sandcrson Lumbcr Co.. Claremont. S.D.. dicd Dcc. 3.

Born in Watson. Mo.. she ancl hcr husbancl. Lloyd. bought Sanclcrson Lurnber in 1954, opelating the finn fbr 27 years.

Alan Bott, 53. lurrbcr salesnran at Roberts & I)ybdahl lnc.. Mitchell. ll., cl ied after a two-yeal'battle lvith lcukemia Nov. 4 in St. Louis. Mo.

Born in Wcbster Grovc. Mo.. hc joincd Robcrrs & Dybdahl. Marengo. kL., in the rnicl-1970s aticr graduating from Drakc University. He later rvorkcd at thc corporate otTice in Des Moines, la.. befirre transf'crring to the Glanite City (Mitchcll) location.

Douglas Rainey. 79, long-timc salesrnan lvith Scotty's, Winter Havcn. Fl.. died of cornplications fbllor.ving a stroke Nov. 30 in Lakcland. Fl.

Burn in Bronrvood. Ga., hc joined Scotty's at its Lakclund lumberyard. then Hornebuilders. in 1957 ancl cvcntually tlansferred to Winter Havcn. Hc retirccl in l98rl.

James L. "Bevo" Halverson. 49. salesman lirr Harvkcye l-urnber Co.. Oskaloosc. Ia.. cliecl Dec. lin Oskaloosa.

He previously rvorkccl at Kalbach Lurnber Co. and Farmcr's Cashrvay I-unrber.

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