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Leveraging Microsoft Technologies to Overcome Inventory Management Challenges
One of the prestigious institution ranked among the top 5 Canadian universities, is situated in Edmonton, Alberta. With a vibrant community of 40,000 students engaged in diverse programs, the university is renowned for its commitment to academic excellence and research innovation.
Facing challenges in managing their lab and research station inventories, the University sought our expertise to streamline their inventory management processes. Their primary goal was to enhance efficiency and accuracy in tracking and managing the extensive range of resources across their facilities. By partnering with us, the university aimed to implement a robust solution that would address these complexities and support their ongoing research and educational activities effectively.
Technology: – ASP.NET Core, MVC, SQL Server
Country:- Canada
Challenges
Our Client encountered several significant challenges with Microsoft Access based system to manage pharmaceutical products and services. The outdated technology and limited features of the existing system led to various operational issues, including:
- Manual Processes: The reliance on manual inventory tracking resulted in frequent inaccuracies and inefficiencies, affecting the overall effectiveness of inventory management.
- Limited Inventory Tracking: The system struggled with effective tracking of inventory levels, leading to discrepancies and difficulties in managing stock accurately.
- Lack of Real-time Visibility: There needed to be more visibility into stock levels across multiple stores, causing delays and frequent stockouts that disrupted operations.
- Lack of a Self-Service Portal for Vendors: Vendors struggled to manage open item inventory without a self-service portal, causing delays, miscommunication, and increased manual effort, making the process more complicated and time-consuming.
- Inefficient Reorder Processes: Manual reorder processes were time-consuming and prone to errors, affecting the timeliness and accuracy of restocking.
- Outdated Technology: The system’s outdated technology hindered critical features necessary for tracking and reporting, impacting the ability to generate accurate and timely reports.
- Data Security Concerns:: Ensuring the security of sensitive data related to inventory and transactions was a significant concern, with the existing system offering inadequate protection.
- Multiple Systems in Use: Using different systems for inventory management led to inefficiencies and complications in coordinating inventory data and processes.
- Challenges in Accurate Reporting: Generating accurate and comprehensive reports was impossible because of the system’s limitations, affecting instantly decision-making and strategic planning.
Solution
Our new inventory management system offers many enhancements to streamline operations and improve efficiency.
- Migration to Latest Technology: Upgraded to a modern platform for improved performance and reliability.
- Special Order Feature: Allows agents to order items not currently in inventory, ensuring no disruption in stock availability.
- Dynamic Order Tracking: Enables real-time status updates for better tracking and management of each order.
- Item History Access: Provides comprehensive visibility into the history of items, including quantities ordered, received, and sold.
- Adjustment Feature: Facilitates accurate maintenance of item details by tracking damaged or missing quantities and providing adjustment history.
- Advanced Reporting: Offers robust reporting capabilities with multiple filters (Date, Item, Item Type) and the ability to export reports in PDF and Excel formats.
- Lab Staff Management:: Allows agents to manage and update details of all lab staff within the system.
- Ethanol Management: Includes a dedicated section for ethanol items, enabling agents to track quantities and manage active/inactive cases.
- Sales Return Initiation: Simplifies the process of initiating sales returns through the website.
- Cart Facility: Enables lab staff to add items to a cart and place orders as needed.
Client was previously using a legacy MS Access system combined with MySQL. We successfully migrated their entire system, including all data, to our modern solution. We upgraded the database from MySQL to SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) using the Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant, ensuring all data was seamlessly imported. The new system is now running smoothly with the updated database.
To further enhance the user experience, we’ve incorporated jQuery data tables, which provide an efficient, responsive interface for quick data retrieval with server-side pagination.
Result
By developing a new inventory management system using the .NET Core MVC platform and leveraging the power of C# programming, we significantly transformed our client’s operations. The migration to .NET Core MVC, coupled with Microsoft’s robust ecosystem, not only enhanced the system’s performance and scalability but also provided the foundation for more reliable and efficient operations. This powerful combination allowed the client to handle increased volumes of data with ease, ensuring that their inventory processes could scale alongside their growing needs.
One of the key benefits was the improvement in data access and management. The updated database, and a user-friendly interface made it easier for users to retrieve and manage information. This led to better visibility into inventory levels, reducing errors and improving accuracy across the board.
As a result, our client experienced a significant reduction in operational blockage. The streamlined operations and enhanced oversight enabled them to respond more quickly to changes in inventory demand, optimize stock levels, and reduce waste. This advanced system, leveraging Microsoft’s innovative solutions and C#’s robust programming capabilities, not only met their immediate needs but also positioned them for future growth, ensuring their inventory management processes remain efficient and effective as their business continues to expand.
Key Features of Inventory Management Solution
Dynamic Order Tracking
Our system simplifies the tracking of each order with real-time, dynamic status updates. Agents can monitor the progress of orders from placement to delivery, ensuring transparency and enabling timely decision-making to enhance operational efficiency.
Comprehensive Item History
Agents can easily access the complete history of any item, including details of when, how many, and to whom quantities were ordered, received, or sold. This feature enhances inventory accuracy and supports better demand forecasting and auditing processes.
Inventory Adjustment Feature
Adjustment feature allows agents to maintain accurate details of each item, including recording instances of damage or loss. This ensures that the inventory reflects the true available quantities, with adjustment histories accessible via comprehensive reports for audit and analysis
Advanced Reporting with Filters
Our system offers advanced reporting capabilities with multiple filters such as date, item, and item type. This makes it easy for users to access precise and relevant data, enhancing decision-making and operational oversight
Exportable Reports
Users can export filtered reports in both PDF and Excel formats, providing flexibility in how data is shared and analyzed. This feature supports collaboration and ensures that critical inventory information can be easily distributed to stakeholders.
Lab Staff Management
Allowing agents to update and maintain accurate records as needed. This centralized management of personnel information enhances operational efficiency and supports better coordination.
Ethanol Management Section
A dedicated section for ethanol management has been introduced, allowing agents to manage and monitor ethanol inventory with precision. Agents can view detailed ethanol case information, track quantities, and activate or deactivate cases as needed, ensuring compliance with regulations.
Cart Facility for Lab Staff
Lab staff can now utilize the cart functionality to add items for future ordering. This feature provides convenience, allowing staff to compile orders over time and place them when ready, streamlining the procurement process.
Dashboard Overview of Business Transactions
Dashboard provides agents with an overview of all the recent business transactions, including key counts and metrics. This feature offers a comprehensive snapshot of operational activity
