Ensuring Real-Time Inventory Synchronization with Power Automate RPA

Client

Our client is one of the largest logistics service providers based in Bangkok, Thailand with a broad network of warehouses and storefronts dedicated to consumer?goods. The company handles thousands of transactions every day and relies?on agile inventory management to support its operational excellence.  

Challenge  

Our client faced substantial inefficiencies in their inventory synchronization process, which relied on manual workflows to update data between the Eurostop system and the company’s central database. Each synchronization cycle required 2-3 hours of manual effort, consuming significant time and resources while creating bottlenecks in daily operations.  

With an error rate of 35%, stock discrepancies and operational inefficiencies also were introduced due to the manual nature?of the process. These discrepancies impacted inventory?management, decision-making, and at times stalled orders from reaching customers. 

Compounding things was a?delayed syncing of inventory data. Stock Audit Updates?— Stock audits are not done in real time. Stock levels were updated once in a day. Because of the absence of visibility in real-time, the business faced difficulties responding?rapidly to changes in demand or supply. 

The process exposed?its limited scalability as the organization grew. Inventory data volume kept increasing which the manual workflow could not handle, leading to bottlenecks and preventing the company from efficient?operations. Scaling?the process would have been the only recourse, but this would have been cost prohibitive and unsustainable. 

Time-consuming workflows, error-prone processes, delays in updates and issues with scalability led?to the company’s operational efficiency and inventory accuracy being affected by these challenges. An automated solution was essential to speed up the synchronization, have real time visibility of?data, and scale up without adding headcount. 

1. Time-Consuming Manual Process: Internal syncs took many hours to run each?cycle, complicating overall operations. 
2. Error-Prone Workflows: With a 35% error rate in manual data entry, stock discrepancies, and inefficiencies became common. 
3. Delayed Updates: Inventory data?was refreshed only once a day, which did not allow for visibility into current stock levels. 
4. Limited Scalability: The manual process was limited in handling the increasing number of inventory data, limiting?operational growth. 

These inefficiencies?ultimately compromised both inventory accuracy and decision-making, necessitating an automated solution capable of real-time inventory updates, reporting and scalability. 

Solution  

We leveraged this automation by using power automate and implemented a solution for automation to address these branches of inefficiencies. End-to-end automation of the entire process resulted in streamlined workflows, improved accuracy?of financial data, and greater overall efficiency. 

It started with the automatic fetching of data, where the Power Automate RPA bot logged into the Eurostop?system and extracted live inventory data. In doing so, it removed the need for?human intervention in gathering data and ensured that they were always processing the latest updates of inventory.  

Data was fetched, and then real-time?syncing with the company’s database happened via the bot. Automating?this step eliminated lag in inventory updates to systems, and changes could now reflect instantly across all systems. This always kept inventory records current, allowing for more informed decision making and planning?of operations. 

Error free?data management was paper-less process automated with minimal human intervention. This reduced?errors in data transfer to a minimum and guaranteed accuracy and reliability of inventory records — overcoming one of the most challenging aspects of their manual workflow. 

Subsequently,?the bot set to work in the background, automatically syncing inventory changes with next to no impact to day-to-day operations. This helped?the client to maintain business continuity with real-time data synchronization. 

Automated Data Retrieval  

• Power Automate RPA bot was configured to extract live inventory data directly from the Eurostop system. 

• Eliminated manual data collection, ensuring up-to-date inventory records for processing. 

Real-Time Synchronization  

• Power Automate RPA bot automatically updated the company’s central database, enabling instant inventory visibility. 
• Improved decision-making with real-time data availability. 

Error-Free Data Handling  

• Automated data validation and correction minimized discrepancies, reducing the error rate from 35% to under 0.5%. 

• Ensured inventory records remained accurate and reliable. 

Background Operation  

• Power Automate RPA bot operated autonomously, ensuring inventory updates were synchronized without disrupting business operations. 
• Provided seamless integration across all warehouse locations. 

Scalability for Growth  

• It was scalable for high inventory volumes?and eliminated manual bottlenecks. 

• No future?expansion required additional investment in resources. 

Results  

The automation of the inventory synchronization process with Power Automate RPA Development that resulted?in tangible improvements to efficiency, accuracy, and scalability. 

1. Dramatic Reduction in Manual Effort: Inventory synchronization,?previously, took Many hours per cycle, now less than 15 minutes. 
2. Significant Time Savings: The time required to sync data across warehouses decreased from 1–2 hours to less than 10 minutes, allowing for quicker decisions and operations.  
3. Improved Accuracy and Reliability:  The average time to conduct a full inventory check?was cut from 4-6 hours down to 30 minutes. 
4. Real-Time Data Availability: Enabled instant stock level visibility, improving operational efficiency and demand responsiveness.  
5. Scalable Operations: The automated solution efficiently handled increasing inventory volumes, supporting continuous business growth. 

Key Performance Improvements: 

Tools Used 

Power Automate Cloud, Power Automate Desktop, ERP, Eurostop?system