- Training
- Aug 24, 2021
NOW AVAILABLE on WEST Edge. https://rriwest.bizlibrary.com
Check out the updated version of the Linen Inventory Tracker.
The Excel spreadsheet has been formatted with monthly tabs to track linen inventory on-hand, what’s in lock up, what has been ordered and what are your losses.
What is the purpose of tracking inventory?
Inventory tracking can provide you with data on how much inventory you have on-hand, the status of your inventory (damaged or backordered) and can help deter theft.
By effectively managing your inventory you can have the right products in the right quantity on hand and avoid products being out of stock and funds being tied up in excess stock.
The general purpose of this management tool is to keep an inventory of linen supply on hand as well as track "discards" (referred to as losses for the purposed of this form). Losses may be items that are re-utilized as housekeeping wiping cloths, pool towels, maintenance drop cloths etc. or simply thrown away. Losses also include any theft from the property. The main purpose of this form is to identify theft so that it may be kept to a minimum as well as ensuring that L.T.O.S. is managed and useable guest ready linen is not discarded.
What are some ways to better manage my inventory?
Be well organized
Having a clean and well-maintained storage area can avoid products from getting damaged. This will also help you understand the level of inventory you have on property to avoid ordering too much or not enough. Label shelves properly, even empty shelves, with what should be put there in the future. Those designations can always be changed if needed, but you don’t want things ending up where they shouldn’t be, just because an employee thought a certain space was freely available.
Proper labeling
Inventory labeling goes hand in hand with inventory organization. Good inventory labeling will help with finding the right product/material. Each item needs to be properly named and marked with details which fully describe the item as well as any special considerations (e.g., expiration dates).
First In / First Out – FIFO Method
Following the FIFO method will avoid using any expired products (e.g., food items) and bad reviews or surveys that it may cause do a guest receive an expired product.
Track your inventory levels at all time
Creating a standardized perpetual tracker when you remove a product/material from storage will help monitor the frequency and usage as well as deter any theft.
Limit access to inventory
An easy safeguard for managing inventory is to limit the number of employees who have access to product/material. This will make it easier to manage the tracker, reduce errors and implementing change when needed.
Fine-tune your forecasting
Accurate forecasting is vital. Watching the demand such as events, promotions, predicted growth in the market should be part of your projected calculations when tracking inventory and before placing an order.
Loss of linen and terry
Linen and terry can get damaged and stained over time or by guest. If you are seeing a higher-than-normal level of linen being damage, check your chemicals. Ecolab representatives can inspect the machines to verify the laundry chemistry is correct and maintain pumping equipment.
You may also have more stains due to the limited service that stayover guest is receiving. Even though we are only providing service once a week, we need to make sure we are getting their terry and linen weekly. If a guest doesn’t want service, we should still be exchanging towels and/or linen.