Automation playbook
Inventory, production and dispatch automation: status that keeps itself true
Operations runs on status, and status is expensive when it is collected by phone. We build the system in which stock, production and dispatch update themselves, from the ERP, from the floor and from the courier, so a question that used to take three calls takes a glance.
In short
Inventory, production and dispatch automation keeps one live picture of where things are. Stock levels sync from your ERP or stock system and show when they were last updated. Items falling below a reorder level raise an alert. Each order moves through production stages that are recorded as the work happens, with jobs that have waited too long flagged, and when an order is dispatched the customer is told automatically.
The flow
Step by step, who does what
- Order confirmed Stock checked and reserved
- Production stages Each stage recorded as work moves
- Ageing flagged Jobs stuck at a stage raised daily
- Supervisor intervenes Reprioritises, reassigns, resolves a person decides
- Dispatched Courier details recorded
- Customer informed And stock updated in the ERP
Stays with people: Priorities, reassignments and the call on a stuck job stay with your supervisors.
What gets automated
Stock. Levels, goods out on approval and dispatches sync from your ERP or stock system on a schedule, and every figure shows how fresh it is, so stale data is obvious rather than dangerous. Items below their reorder level raise an alert to the person who buys.
Production and dispatch. Each order is tracked job by job through the stages your work actually passes through, recorded from the floor as it moves. The system shows the count and the ageing at every stage and raises jobs that have waited too long each morning. When an order ships, the courier details are recorded and the customer is told, on WhatsApp or by email, without anyone composing the message.
- ERP stock sync, with freshness on every figure
- Reorder alerts by rule
- Production stages with counts and ageing
- Stuck jobs raised every morning
- Dispatch recorded and the customer informed
How we build it
We map the stages your work really passes through, including the loops where it comes back, and decide where each status is captured: a scan, a tap on the floor, or a sync from a machine or the ERP. Then we build the board that shows it and the rules that watch it.
The CRM we built for a manufacturer tracks every production stage as a live flow with job counts and ageing, and keeps stock current through an ERP sync. A food business or a trading company has different stages; the method is the same.
What it connects to
Your ERP or stock system as the source of truth for stock, the floor through simple screens or scanners, your courier or transporter for dispatch details, and WhatsApp or email for telling the customer.
- ERP or stock system
- Shop-floor screens or barcode scanners
- Courier and transporter records
- WhatsApp and email, for customer updates
Questions
Common questions
Our ERP is the source of truth for stock. Does this replace it?
No. The ERP stays the source of truth; the automation reads from it, shows the figures where people need them with the time they were last updated, and writes back only what you decide it should.
How do workers record progress on the floor?
As simply as possible: a tap on a screen at the stage, or a barcode scan on the job card. We design it with the supervisors, because a status nobody records is a status nobody can trust.
Can customers track their own order?
They can be told at each milestone you choose, automatically, on WhatsApp or by email. A self-service tracking page is possible when your business needs one.
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