I’ve volunteered to take on the task of implementation of an inventory control system for Team 3015 for 2018.
You don’t realize just what you have on hand until you start putting your hands on everything.
Lots of work, no doubt. I’ve taken to trying to compile an Excel workbook, with separate pages for hardware, Vex, Andymark, etc., using info gleaned from the respective websites. I don’t think that’s the way to go though. It would be nice if these manufacturers could provide a catalog of sorts that list part numbers, descriptions & cost. I asked, but there hasn’t been a response.
Wondering if any of you have viable systems in place at all. If so, I’d be happy to hear how you went about it, what it is you’re using, what the startup cost was, etc. Any information you’d care to share would help us get off the ground. We’re running out of runway…
We’re using PartKeepr in our shop. We use barcodes on storage locations and parts / sets of parts. We like being able to keep an accurate track of what we have on hand, what we need to restock, and how frequently / infrequently we use parts. We’re hoping to use some of this to increase our standardization and shape our buying decisions for future years.
I have a catalog of sorts for Vex / AndyMark / West Coast Products that I scraped from their sites, I’ll PM it to you. Fair warning the prices and items may change. I know AndyMark has added quite a few products since I last updated the sheet.
Thank you kindly sir! Quite a comprehensive manufacturer’s parts list. Must’ve taken you days of work to get that all compiled. I appreciate you sharing it with us.
We are looking for a Windows based solution for our inventory control needs. Looks like PartKeeper is Unix based.
If anyone has a Windows based solution that they’re using that appears viable that isn’t hard for the kids to use, I’d be interested in hearing more about it.
pchild - we’d love to see photos of how you have the system set up. How accurate does it end up being during build season and how do you handle parts being used for prototyping etc (ie - in and out of supply)?
