In this edition, we highlight one of the most challenging and rewarding implementations of the year: the rollout of Zoho Inventory for a company in the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) sector with operational presence in multiple regions and eight distributed warehouses.
With a catalog of more than 3,000 SKUs or products—including advanced inventory management with serial number tracking—this company required a robust solution that would not only record inventory but also organize it physically in a strategic manner.
EPC and materials management: an operation that demands precision
Inventory management is one of the most complex and critical challenges for Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) companies. Unlike traditional commerce or manufacturing models, EPC companies operate in highly dynamic environments with large-scale, geographically distributed projects. These require coordination of thousands of SKUs with different specifications, suppliers, and lead times. Having each material available at the right moment is key to avoiding costly delays and ensuring continuous on-site operations.
Managing inventories across multiple job sites, warehouses, and supply channels—while maintaining visibility, cost control, and timely delivery—is a demanding task. Without an integrated and flexible system, delays, excess inventory, stockouts, and cost overruns become frequent risks that directly impact project timelines and profitability.
This article explores the main challenges EPC companies face in inventory management and how digital tools like Zoho Inventory can bring visibility, automation, and control to optimize purchasing, materials tracking, and overall supply chain efficiency.
From chaos to control: how operational transformation was structured
The company was looking for a system that would not only record entries and exits but completely transform how they managed their physical and accounting inventory.
The Zoho Inventory implementation project was designed to comprehensively meet the operational and strategic needs of its network of 8 warehouses, optimizing the management of over 3,000 SKUs and laying the foundation for future integrations with other Zoho ecosystem apps.
The entire project was executed in 3 months, with a progressive rollout that allowed validation of each phase before scaling. This approach not only resolved the physical stock management but also aligned finance, logistics, and procurement areas on a single platform with real-time visibility.
Keys to success: what to consider before implementing an inventory management system
An implementation of this scale requires meticulous preliminary work. Here are some of the key considerations that ensured the success of this implementation:
- Warehouse design and organized physical structure: Before starting, it’s essential to have a warehouse segmented by aisles, sections, and location zones. Using warehouse maps or blueprints helps correctly configure Bin Locations, enabling real traceability within the system.
- Accounting decision: physical stock vs accounting stock: It’s crucial to define whether inventory will be accounted for and integrated with Zoho Books. In that case, collaboration with the finance department is needed to align accounting (accounting stock) with operational physical stock.
- Definition of roles and user profiles: A well-managed inventory system needs clear responsibilities. Identify which profiles will have access, editing permissions, movement validations, and report visibility.
- Complete inventory list and expected locations: For proper initial setup, a full inventory of all warehouses is required, along with the specific locations where products will be stored.
- Definition of initial stock cut-off (Opening Stock): A cut-off date must be established to load initial inventory balances, which will mark the official start of system use.
- Identification of serialized products: If there are products with serial numbers, they must be configured in the system from the beginning to maintain traceability.
- Use of scanners for incoming and outgoing items: Decide whether barcode scanners will be integrated to speed up product receiving, dispatching, and transfer processes.
- Availability of printers for labeling: A barcode printer allows labeling of shelves, racks, and products, facilitating visual order and immediate identification.
- Definition of operational processes: Documenting how each process will be carried out—receiving, dispatching, returns, and warehouse transfers—is key for a smooth implementation.
- Controlled testing (progressive rollout): Start implementation in a pilot warehouse to validate processes and fix issues before full deployment.
- Monitoring and post-implementation adjustments: Provide support during the first weeks of real operations to make fine-tuning adjustments, measure results, and scale to the rest of the warehouses.
This implementation demonstrates how a well-planned technological solution can completely transform the operations of companies with complex logistics structures. In just three months, this EPC sector company transitioned from manual, fragmented management to an integrated, efficient, and scalable system. Zoho Inventory not only addressed immediate challenges related to traceability and stock control but also enabled a solid foundation for future growth, integrating finance, procurement, and logistics teams on a single platform.
Cases like this reaffirm the importance of choosing the right tools and having strategic support to ensure successful adoption.
Want to transform your inventory management with Zoho Inventory?
At InterConnecta, we are a Zoho Premium Partner and support companies in industries such as engineering, construction, energy, and logistics at every stage of the process.
Contact us to learn more about our implementations.
