Warehouse
Three Biggest Operational Challenges in the Factory Warehouse
Poor Inventory Visibility and Location Accuracy
Operators often waste time searching for materials or find discrepancies between physical and system stock, leading to delays, errors, or overstocking.
Inefficient Material Movement and Staging
Material flow to and from production isn’t prioritized or tracked in real time—causing bottlenecks, missed Kanban signals, or delayed changeovers.
Fragmented Processes for Scrap, Returns, and Stock Adjustments
Lack of standardized workflows for handling non-conforming goods, returned material, or stock adjustments results in inaccurate records and lost materials.
Key Personas Involved in the Factory Warehouse
Wendy, the Warehouse Operator
Receives and stores materials, performs picks and deliveries to lines, handles Kanban bins and inventory adjustments.
Willy, the Warehouse Manager
Manages warehouse layout, coordinates material movements, ensures FIFO and accuracy of location-based inventory.
Simone, the Supply Chain Manager
Monitors stock levels, tracks usage and trends, manages cycle counts, identifies discrepancies or replenishment needs.
Five High-Value Use Cases for MBrain and Mint
1. Use Case: Real-Time Inventory Accuracy with Location Tracking
Challenge: Stock location errors or missing items cause delays and disrupt production flow.
How MBrain + Mint helps: MBrain enables barcode scanning for every stock movement (receiving, storage, picking, returns) with real-time updates. Mint synchronizes inventory data with ERP/WMS, ensuring system accuracy and instant location lookup.
Benefit: Faster picking, reduced search time, and minimized risk of stockouts or double-picking.
2. Use Case: Digital Kanban and Line Replenishment
Challenge: Manual Kanban boards or late replenishment signals create downtime and material starvation at workstations.
How MBrain + Mint helps: MBrain digitizes Kanban triggers and material calls from workstations or process steps. Mint integrates demand signals and generates prioritized replenishment tasks for warehouse teams.
Benefit: Smoother material flow, fewer stoppages, and real-time response to production needs.
3. Use Case: FIFO Enforcement and Expiration-Based Picking
Challenge: Older or expiring materials are used late or not at all due to lack of control over FIFO or shelf-life.
How MBrain + Mint helps: MBrain tags material batches with expiration, MSL, or FIFO dates and enforces rules during picking. Mint uses these attributes to suggest or validate pick sequences and manage aging inventory.
Benefit: Reduces scrap due to expiration, supports compliance, and ensures optimal stock rotation.
4. Use Case: Scrap and Return Workflow with Traceability
Challenge: Scrap or returned materials are poorly tracked or misclassified, skewing inventory and cost data.
How MBrain + Mint helps: MBrain enables operators to log scrap reasons, quantities, and batch links directly during handling. Mint updates inventory and triggers return or rework workflows based on predefined business rules.
Benefit: Accurate scrap accounting, better root cause analysis, and cleaner warehouse operations.
5. Use Case: Warehouse KPIs and Inventory Analytics
Challenge: Warehouse performance data (e.g., cycle time, fill rate, inventory turns) is not available or actionable.
How MBrain + Mint helps: MBrain logs all warehouse transactions and movement times. Mint aggregates these into dashboards for stock accuracy, aging, pick efficiency, and material flow analytics.
Benefit: Supports warehouse optimization, labor planning, and strategic material flow improvements.