Inventory management
September 1st 2011

Propeller GB has secured an EUfunded £3/4m investment to fuel business expansion through accelerated production of 'intelligent' storeroom equipment. Propeller has its main business focus on management, procurement and supply of MRO (maintenance, repair and operating) spares. It says that MRO inventory typically can be between 15% and 20% of enterprise spend, yet accounts for up to 80% of procurement department workload.

Propeller offers a fully integrated holistic service that takes care of the customer's indirect parts from sourcing and supply, through to automated control of inventory on site. It gives clients complete visibility of MRO purchasing and stock, saving time, money and resources, as well as maximising staff access to spares and consumables.

At the heart of Propeller's solution are two 'intelligent' inventory management systems. Pro-Vyda is a point-of-use parts 'vending' unit, which provides authorised-only access to inventory by means of swipe card, key fob or biometrics, close to the production line or other workplace. Pro-Pod provides management of central engineering and maintenance stores, using RFID technology, that captures stock movements without the need to physically book out items.

Inventory data can be interrogated remotely from a desktop PC, spares can be rapidly located and retrieved through a touch-screen search, and stock-checks are completed within hours.