Slimstock help Baca enjoy product availability in excess of 97%

Since 1987, BACA Safety and Workwear have provided customers with a comprehensive range of personal and workplace products as well as managed workwear uniforms. BACA’s commitment to quality has helped the family-run business to become one of the UK’s leading suppliers of workwear and workplace products.

However, given that safety regulations are subject to constant change, BACA’s product assortment must grow and evolve accordingly. In order to gain greater control over their inventory management processes, BACA required a solution which could not only help reduce inventory levels but also improve availability across the entire product range.

Greater control over the entire assortment

Prior to implementing Slim4, BACA relied on spreadsheets to manage the inventory. However, as the company grew, availability and stock outs quickly became an issue. After looking into a number of different options, BACA eventually decided upon Slimstock’s inventory management solution, Slim4. “It was important to us that the system had the capability to provide greater control over the assortment. However, we also required something which could help forecast demand and provide greater visibility across our operation.” Murray goes on to add: “After seeing the potential improvement Slim4 could deliver, Slimstock was the supplier of choice.”

Optimised inventory levels

Following the successful implementation of Slim4, BACA had much better visibility of their stock picture and are able to analyse their assortment in much greater detail. “Thanks to Slim4, we have been able to differentiate our portfolio and thus we now have the ability to manage items differently depending on their given characteristics. With Slimstock’s knowledge, combined with the powerful capabilities of Slim4, we have been able to optimise our approach to assortment management.” Furthermore, by focussing on only the exceptions and managing the product life cycle more efficiently, BACA now achieve availabilities in excess of 97%. “This is an enormous jump from where we were,” adds Murray.

Striving for further improvement

Since implementing Slim4, BACA have made some major improvements: “With help from Slimstock, our stock turn is now the highest it has ever been.” Optimistic about the future, Murray concludes: “we are now taking steps to further increase our availability to over 99% and with Slimstock as our inventory management partners, I am confident that we have the capability to achieve our business goals.”