Optimizing Tool Crib Efficiency Through Effective Cycle Counting in Plex ERP
Managing maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) inventory is a crucial component of tool crib management. Unaccounted or inaccurate stock levels can lead to unexpected downtime, missed production deadlines, and costly emergency purchases. To prevent these risks, manufacturers increasingly rely on systematic cycle counting as part of their inventory control strategy — and Plex ERP provides a robust platform to streamline and automate this process.
Why Cycle Counting Matters for MRO and Supply Items
Cycle counting is an inventory auditing procedure that involves counting subsets of inventory throughout the year rather than performing a single annual physical count. This continuous approach ensures that the inventory reflected in Plex ERP aligns with what is actually available on the shop floor, in storerooms, and at other locations.
Key benefits include:
- Accurate visibility into stock levels, reducing discrepancies between system and physical counts.
- Minimized disruptions, preventing production shutdowns or maintenance delays caused by missing items.
- Reduced financial exposure, avoiding write-offs due to misplaced or overstocked materials.
- Improved audit compliance, ensuring that inventory changes are systematically documented and reconciled.
In a fast-paced manufacturing environment, accurate MRO and tool crib inventory helps maintain reliable operations and supports continuous improvement initiatives under lean principles.
Best Practices for Cycle Counting in Tool Crib Management
To maximize the benefits of cycle counting, follow these proven practices:
- Assign Ownership: Designate personnel responsible for maintaining the integrity of inventory records in specific tool crib zones.
- Use ABC Classification: Prioritize high-value or frequently used items for more frequent counts, aligning effort with risk.
- Standardize Count Frequency: Establish a recurring schedule for categories of items rather than performing counts reactively.
- Validate After Every Maintenance Shift: Count fast-moving or critical items tied to maintenance schedules more often.
- Leverage Plex Analytics: Use reports and dashboards to identify patterns of inaccuracy or high-variance locations.
By standardizing and digitizing the cycle count process, teams can move away from reactive corrections toward proactive inventory management.
Performing a Cycle Count in Plex ERP
Plex ERP provides a dedicated Cycle Count screen designed to simplify the end-to-end cycle counting process. Below is an overview of how to perform each stage effectively.
Create a Cycle Count
- Access the Cycle Counts screen.
- On the Action Bar, click Add.
- On the Cycle Count Detail screen, specify the Cycle Type. Choose Supply Items.
- In the Cycle Parameters section, select at least one parameter.
- Specify a Parameter and its Parameter Value.
- Click Add Parameter to include more filters.
- To save:
- Click Add & New to create another count.
- Click Apply to stay on the detail screen.
- Click OK to return to the Cycle Counts screen.
Configuration requirements are documented in Plex Online Help.
Start a Cycle Count
- From the Cycle Counts screen, adjust filters and click Search.
- Click the Cycle No link of the count you want to begin.
- On the Cycle Count Detail screen, click Start on the Action Bar.
Perform a Cycle Count
Performing the cycle count reconciles differences between system records and actual inventory.
The process:
- Creates an entry for each counted item.
- Confirms the item’s physical location.
- Captures quantity data and reconciles it with Plex ERP.
- On the Cycle Count screen, set filters and click Search.
- In the grid, open the Cycle No link.
- Follow the required counting steps on the Cycle Count Detail screen.
Complete a Cycle Count
- Go to the Cycle Counts screen and apply filters.
- Click the Cycle No link for the relevant count.
- On the Action Bar, click Complete.
- Confirm to finalize. The status changes to Complete In Progress, and Plex displays a progress bar until all containers are processed.
How Plex Mobile Streamlines Cycle Counting
Users can perform cycle counts via mobile devices by scanning part serial numbers, supply item numbers, or master unit identifiers, accounting for quantities directly and securely.Cycle counts can be performed as planned activities or ad hoc counts, enabling flexible inventory review whenever needed. Scanned items are automatically tracked and attributed to all relevant, open cycle counts. Completed counts are instantly processed, while the module offers the ability to reset counts and edit inventory details as needed—creating a highly adaptable inventory management workflow.
Configuration and Security Features
Security roles determine access to cycle count functions, such as starting or completing counts, accounting for inventory, and updating container or master unit details.
Cycle count parameters, such as location verification and inventory type, are customizable in the Plex UX environment, further supporting precise inventory management.Setup and settings options let organizations define display preferences and cycle count completion procedures.
Benefits of Plex Mobile for Cycle Counting
By incorporating Plex Mobile, organizations benefit from a seamless, error-reducing, and highly flexible approach to cycle counting and inventory management, delivering real-time value and increased efficiency.
Integrating Cycle Counting into Lean Inventory Management
Embedding the cycle count process into your daily MRO and tool crib activities supports lean manufacturing goals. It helps ensure stocked tools and parts are accurate, available, and traceable across departments — reinforcing continuous improvement, waste reduction, and reliability at every stage of production.
When properly executed through Plex ERP, cycle counting becomes more than an inventory check — it becomes a strategic control mechanism to sustain operational excellence.
