CUSTOM WORKFLOWS / REPAIR SHOPS
Auto repair inventory automation, built around your shop.
Connect the parts and consumables on your shelf with the repair jobs using them. Alongside designs inventory workflows around your stock units, team and existing records. Baystock is an example of that approach.
Try a practical starting point
Repair-shop inventory worksheet: step-by-step instructions and a free editable Excel template.
Start with the shortage your team keeps running into
A shop can have a full stockroom and still run out of the one item needed to finish a job. Unrecorded usage, mixed purchasing units and stock counts that are out of date make replenishment harder. A useful first project makes those movements visible before adding supplier connections.
One stock record, from delivery to repair job
- Receive stock: record the item, purchasing unit, quantity and storage location.
- Record usage: assign parts or consumables to a repair job, including multiple items at the end of a repair.
- Check the shelf: compare a physical cycle count with the recorded balance and flag differences for review.
- Review replenishment: compare usable stock, expected usage, open orders and supplier lead time.
ILLUSTRATIVE CALCULATION
When should brake cleaner go on the reorder list?
Suppose the shop has 14 cans, uses 4 cans per day, needs 2 days for delivery and keeps a 6-can buffer. A simple review threshold is (4 × 2) + 6 = 14 cans. At that balance, it is time to review replenishment. This is a review trigger, not an order quantity; open orders, pack sizes and the next delivery date still matter.
What a first inventory project could include
Agree on a small item group, a stock movement form, a repair-job reference, a cycle-count sheet and a replenishment review. Barcode scanning can be scoped where it fits the devices and item labels. An unknown barcode should prompt an item review rather than quietly creating duplicate stock.
Work with the tools you already have
Begin with a parts list or inventory export. Before connecting shop software or a supplier catalog, confirm the platform, subscription, API access and available fields. Supplier catalogs and automatic ordering are not connected in the public Baystock example. This is custom workflow work, with integrations assessed for your shop.
What to bring to an opportunity check
- A blank or anonymized item list showing stock and purchasing units.
- One example of a delivery, repair-job usage record and shelf count.
- Your current shop software, scanning devices and supplier ordering process.
- The exception you most want to reduce, such as emergency parts runs or unexplained count differences.
How to judge the pilot
Measure how long stock recording and count reviews take, how many differences need correction and whether replenishment decisions are easier to explain. Keep supplier orders subject to the approval rules you choose. Any savings should be measured using your own shop records.
Can this replace our entire shop management system?
The starting goal is to solve a specific inventory problem. Estimates, invoicing, scheduling and parts catalogs may remain in your current system. We agree on responsibilities and connections before building.
Related: supply planning for service businesses and choosing a first automation project.
Tell us where work gets held up.
Start with a free written opportunity check. We will review the task and agree on scope, budget and support before paid work begins.