The University of California Davis Logistics department is comprised of five physical stores that serve internal staff and student communities. “Our campus logistics department covers many different stores, all of which are separate inventory organizations that utilize Oracle Cloud,” said Jen Carmichael, Director of Davis Logistics. During COVID-19, the UC Davis Central Storehouse location became the single distribution source for all of campus. As all operations were consolidated to one fulfillment location, the need for an optimized supply chain process supported by highly functional software systems became
clear. To accomplish their unique and customized supply chain environment, they began the search for a capable inventory management system.
Finding the Grade A Solution
Due to the diverse types of inventory UC Davis fulfills daily, including Mail Services, Facilities Management, Chemistry Storage, Central Storehouse, and Catalogues, the UC Logistics team had many unique processes in play. They needed the ability to receive and track inventory within their Oracle Cloud framework, while accommodating the various inventory types. With each type of inventory, customers could secure goods in a variety of ways, including in-person shopping or online ordering for pickup or delivery. UC Davis needed configurable supply chain software to streamline these components.
Their team also needed the ability to receive and track inventory while staying in compliance with the appropriate regulatory agencies. In searching for the right inventory management solution to tackle these complexities, they leaned on their Oracle Cloud partner. “We told our partner that we needed scanning technology to be in line with our inventory system in Oracle Cloud. They said RF-SMART
was a well-established and integrated solution for the public sector - the best choice,” said Jen. “RF-SMART has a very seamless relationship with Oracle, and the integration is well thought out. Thankfully, we went with their recommendation.”
Untangling the Public Sector Inventory Experience
In dealing with their many types of inventory orders and associated transactions, the UC Davis team attaches Work Orders to customer data directly from the ERP. Before RF-SMART, this would require employees to key in a 40-digit string of data at a desktop, creating a complex back and forth for the customer and the staff. This was causing significant lags in order retrieval, purchasing, and reconciliation to the correct purchasing account.
To simplify this manual process, the UC Davis team utilizes RF-SMART’s inventory management solution to streamline the data exchange from Oracle Cloud to the end user. RF-SMART helped their team create 2D barcodes placed throughout the store that allowed users to easily scan a name tag with a barcoded label that would then pull all necessary purchasing account information to close out the order. From there, the staff quickly inputs the quantity and submits the purchase. Each transaction is completed from the mobile handhelds on the floor, streamlining data retrieval and simplifying the user’s process.
“With RF-SMART, our team members can scan the barcode label and complete the purchase in less than a minute,” said Jen.
Customer Billing Simplified
This updated process not only increased user-friendliness and efficiency but also accommodated the complexities surrounding their purchasing accounts. Internal customers are comprised of over 50,000 people, each purchasing on behalf of a specific department. For ensured accuracy, each transaction must recall not only customer name and order information, but also the associated cost account. Through RF-SMART’s barcode scanning, they can simply scan and charge the accounts of another UC Davis department, avoiding the need for time-consuming and costly credit card transactions. “With RF-SMART, we are able to scan and automatically recall the correct Chart of Accounts, which is hugely helpful,” said Jen. Additionally, the internal requisitions created using RF-SMART allow for necessary Tax and Markup costing to automatically occur on the order in Oracle Cloud.
Continuing to Optimize with RF-SMART
As their operations grow, RF-SMART’s flexible solution helps UC Davis further adapt and optimize their mobile workflows to meet their needs. They have used this flexibility to cut out some unnecessary steps,
including validations, approvals, and labeling. This has further improved their accuracy, eliminating additional chances for human error and needless repetitive clicking. RF-SMART’s team of experts continues to help UC Davis configure a process that is uniquely designed to accomplish their tasks as quickly as possible.
As UC Davis Logistics continues to streamline their inventory operations, Jen and her team are finding innovative ways to improve their supply chain with the help of RF-SMART’s industry experts. “I’ve worked with a lot of folks over the years, and I’ve been really impressed working with RF-SMART,” said Jen. “We have witnessed how passionate RF-SMART is about finding a solution to make our systems work,” said Jen.