In Cost-Conscious Times, Pensacola State College Cuts Inventory of Supplies by 65 Percent, Saving Time and Money
With Wasp Inventory Control school can bolster its budget with accurate lab fees that are fair to students.
Plano, TX (Vocus) September 14, 2010
With budgets tightening, state colleges and universities are looking for ways to better track inventory, while also ensuring they collect proper student fees and avoid over-spending. The Health Sciences Learning Center, a department of Pensacola State College (http://www. pensacolastate. edu/) in Florida, has successfully accomplished these goals with an inventory tracking solution from Wasp Barcode Technologies (http://www. waspbarcode. com/).
The college serves approximately 1,000 students each year in its nursing and allied health programs, which require supplies such as gloves, needles and surgical tags for lab classes and teacher demonstrations. Over time, the school accumulated more than 5,000 inventory items that were scattered around the campus.
“There was no real method to any of this madness,” said Christa Ruber, supervisor of the Health Sciences Learning Center. “There were supplies in each of the dozens of closets scattered around our campus. We were constantly doing triage, trying to find things manually.”
This situation caused several problems. For one thing, the school needed to charge each of its 1,000 students appropriate fees for lab supplies, but was not accurately tracking the amount and costs of supplies for each class. The college did not want to overestimate these expenses, thus overcharging students, or underestimate the costs resulting in lost revenue.
“In a tight budget process that schools face, we need solid support and evidence to justify any request for expenditures in the annual budget,” Ruber said.
The college began using an Excel spreadsheet to create a list of all the items it had in stock. This generated an accurate accounting of supplies stored throughout the campus, but was too unwieldy and time-consuming for ongoing transactions.
Ruber then purchased a Wasp WDT3200 mobile computer and Wasp Inventory Control (http://www. waspbarcode. com/inventory_control) software, which uses simple and proven barcode technology to improve efficiency while providing a rapid return on investment. Wasp Inventory Control helps companies gain new insight into their inventory. Organizations that implement this easy-to-use inventory control software solution can experience increased sales, reduced costs, improved customer service, and increased value of their companies.
Using the Wasp Inventory Control solution, the college slashed its inventory of medical supplies by 65 percent. Just 1,750 inventory items are now stocked in two centralized supply rooms, compared to the 5,000 inventory items that used to be scattered across the campus. The solution also enables administrators to know exactly how much money has been spent on supplies for each class, making it easy to assess and justify appropriate student fees each semester.
“The idea of being able to manage inventory in this manner is incredible,” Ruber said. “There’s no way I’d go back to the Excel spreadsheet.”
“Most organizations don’t realize how quickly and easily they can impact the bottom line with an inventory tracking solution,” said Tom O’Shea, general manager of Wasp Barcode Technologies. “It’s exciting to see a state college protect its budget and strengthen its financial position using Wasp Inventory Control. Other schools all around the country can see the same financial benefits, plus save a great deal of time and frustration, with a small investment that can be recouped in a matter of weeks or months.”
A complete synopsis of Pensacola State College’s results with Wasp Inventory Control, is documented in a case study that can viewed at http://bit. ly/Inventory_Tracking_CaseStudy (http://bit. ly/Inventory_Tracking_CaseStudy).
About Wasp Barcode Technologies
Wasp Barcode Technologies provides data capture and tracking solutions designed specifically for small business. Products include inventory control (http://www. waspbarcode. com/inventory_control), asset tracking, time and attendance, barcode scanners, barcode printers, and point of sale (POS) solutions. Wasp products help small business owners manage their companies more efficiently with improved productivity and profitability. Learn more at www. waspbarcode. com or call 866-547-WASP (9277).
###
