2005 Ohio Student Research Forum

Abstract

Bar Coded Inventory Control
Khalilah Catchings-EL
Ohio University, Department of Industrial Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Constantinos Vassiliadis

My research consisted of finding a more efficient way of monitoring inventory. A stainless steel sink manufacturing company in Thessaloniki, Greece experienced problems with tracking inventory and making sure the on hand inventory was adequate. Implementing a bar coding system could eliminate this problem.
The system would work with Microsoft Excel to keep count of the amount of inventory that was ordered, the amount of inventory that was used, the amount of inventory left, and an indicator to tell if stock needs to be ordered. A CCD scanner with a code 128 barcode is best for tracking inventory. The scanner connects to the computer with a USB connection and can easily be used with a laptop computer. Some advantages to using this system are that the Microsoft Excel sheet would indicate when more of an item needed to be ordered by highlighting the cell in red. Another advantage would be that the inventory would continuously be monitored. The CCD scanner uses Microsoft Office so there would be no need to purchase, install, or train employees to use expensive software that is not user friendly.

Bar coding is a more efficient way of tracking inventory. This system will eliminate problems with inventory shortage and reduce the likelihood of human error in inventory control.