PPE control system

Task and problem

The client wanted to improve the management of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) issued to their employees in order to ensure efficient and timely issue of PPE, and to analyze and track the use and demand. As the PPE was written off to current expenses in the client’s accounting system, further management of these items was passed on to the warehousekeeper, who was following them in an inconvenient Excel table. PPE issue and registration was recorded by hand and was ineffective.

It was not possible to analyze the available data, actual expenses and demands were not clear, and there was no possibility to objectively and promptly determine the value of lost or not returned PPE. There have been cases where, for some reason, the necessary PPE was not in stock, resulting in workers having unplanned downtime and prompt orders for suppliers.

Mobile app for PPE registration and tracking

Using the Microsoft Sharepoint and PowerApps technologies, a mobile application for PPE management was created for the client. The client is now able to easily, with the click of a few buttons to register and assign PPE from the warehouse to an employee. There is also the possibility of scanning a barcode with the use a mobile app, which further simplified inventory management.

The mobile application has given the client mobility, which means that the items can be issued simply and quickly anywhere, whether it is in the warehouse, in the workshop, or in another distant work location. All PPE traffic data from the mobile application syncs to the Microsoft cloud Sharepoint database, making the data available in real time, and also provides the opportunity to analyze the data.

Business analysis for effective Inventory Management

Using the Power BI tool and Office 365 cloud data, we have implemented business intelligence processes for our client. The customer has an opportunity to analyze all of his data, such as: demand for PPE by months, by type, by brigade and by employees, which resulted in effective inventory maintenance in the warehouse. By observing the lifetime and periodicity of replacement of one or another item, the client reduced the costs of PPE, which enabled the acquisition of higher quality PPE and improved comfort, ergonomics for employees, while ensuring low costs. The customer is also sure that all employees are given the required PPE in a timely manner.

Automated stock purchase process

Using the Microsoft Flow process automation tool, we installed an automated warehouse support system for the client. The system observes the PPE stock quantities every day, and based on the needs automatically places an order to the PPE supplier, thus ensuring that the stock is always sufficient.