Tighter Inventory Pays Dividends for Stonewall [Kitchen]

Lack of confidence in inventory levels is a risky prospect for a manufacturer, particularly one growing at 20 percent a year. But ensuring it was producing and stocking the goods to meet growing demand spurred specialty foods maker Stonewall Kitchen to execute frequent cycle counts. So the company implemented Integrated Warehousing Solutions' IRMS with Microsoft Dynamics NAV, replacing a manual warehouse operation.

"Our number one goal was to find a proactive means to check inventory," says Dean Frost, Director of Operations, Stonewall Kitchen. Stonewall increased the percent of SKUs with zero variance during cycle counts from 55 percent to 97 percent. "That's the tightest measure in the industry," says Frost. "We have 99.9 percent accuracy at the unit level."

That enabled Stonewall to reduce production levels, boost warehouse activity, and enact real-time communication on key transactions such as inventory, shipping and receipts. Stonewall has also begun using IRMS to prepare raw materials for production and gain tighter control of raw materials inventory.

"We're able to tell customers with great confidence when something is out of stock, and we can send out tracking numbers to help them be more efficient," Frost says.

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