From an off-the-cuff toilet paper crisis to the shortage of vital protective equipment, the issues brought in by the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in the global supply chain were diverse in nature. While the unpredictability of the situation was the major cause for this disruption, the dearth of flexible or quickly scalable inventory management system in the logistics industry was also a critical contributor to the problem. The crisis thus made it clear how an effective inventory management system can enable enterprises to manage their demand and supply variables even during an unprecedented circumstance such as this.

And while the significance of a robust inventory management system is evident, the vital question is how to go about it? Is wall-to-wall physical count the right solution to every situation? Can it be as effective for a large-scale supply chain or warehouse inventory project as it is in a limited-sized retail inventory? The experts think otherwise. According to Jonathan Pintado, the vice president of operations at Monarch Inventory Services, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for inventory management. Pintado emphasizes that each inventory project has to be approached distinctly. “While the physical count is adequate for a smaller retail inventory, a broader and more complex supply chain inventory project demands a more comprehensive and specialized approach,” states Pintado.

It is this understanding that has made Monarch one of the highly-rated inventory management service providers in the U.S. today. Monarch’s tailor-made approach to inventory services is in striking contrast to the cookie-cutter approach that’s generally seen in the sector. “Where other inventory companies simply do a physical count, we assess the entire warehouse management system of our client to identify inefficiencies and give personalized recommendations regarding how to fix them,” adds Pintado.

Banking on this expertise, Monarch has built a unique portfolio in inventory management services. They are specialized in providing customized inventory services to warehouses, convenience stores, and liquor stores, besides providing inventory services for fixed assets. From small convenience stores to some of the global companies that have facilities of over a million square feet, Monarch has established an extensive client base over the past three decades. In fact, corroborating this statement, Pintado recalls that it was their earlier successes with Fortune 500 companies that helped them cement their cornerstone in the inventory management space today. In one instance, a multinational company was moving to a million square foot facility in the south of Kansas and took aboard Monarch’s services for quality control. Monarch, consequently, got involved in more aspects of the project, from cycle counting to inbound process movement. “That project launched us into what we are today,” states Pintado. The application that was developed by Monarch for quality control measure was later integrated by the client to their warehouse management system (WMS), and is still being used. “Irrespective of being a small firm based in Kansas, we take a lot of pride in the impact that we have been able to create for some of the global companies,” says Pintado.

On that front, the diverse range of Monarch’s warehouse inventory services includes supply chain consulting, quality control, cycle counting, physical inventory, and Cubiscan dimensioning and weighing services. Monarch always has the right diagnostic tools and technical expertise to identify the root cause and tackle every inventory problem. Also, their partnership with the Inventory Services Network group – a group of 20 inventory companies, enables them to further maintain the synergy and the company’s foothold within the sector. It not only helps them in understanding the ongoing trends in the sector but also in leveraging resources and technology required for certain projects.

Pintado further cites an example to substantiate how Monarch’s custom-made approach to warehouse inventory management has benefited one of their clients – a global manufacturing company. Last year, Monarch was contacted by the manufacturing company to do a wall-to-wall count for one of their distribution centers, which is over a million square feet and has about 270,000 locations within the building. While the physical count in itself was an arduous and cost-intensive task, the team at Monarch swiftly recognized that it wouldn’t work for the client, and the inventory would get muddled up again after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars once the company gets back into its operational stage. So, Monarch did a quality control project for them, and to the satisfaction of the client, their location accuracy marked at 95 percent in February of this year.

Success stories such as these make Monarch a trailblazer in inventory management services. Interestingly, Kansas is now steadily developing into a large hub for supply chain activity, thanks to its proximity to most parts of the nation. And this growth is playing to Monarch’s advantage that already has a firm footing in the location. “We also have some exciting global projects coming up. And with Kansas becoming a big hub for supply chain, we are well-positioned to leverage the opportunity, and are very much excited about the future,” concludes Jonathan.