Counting at a regional site: travel, equipment and local preparation

A site outside Tashkent changes the arithmetic of a count. The team spends hours on the road, the nearest shop that sells a spare battery or a roll of label stock is far away, and a second visit costs another day or two of travel. A missing cable or a file that will not open, a small problem in the capital, can cost a whole day here. Most of the preparation therefore has to be done before the team leaves, by telephone and by checklist.

What to settle by phone with the site

Ask the local contact, and keep the answers in writing, for example as a message.

• Access: working hours, gate procedure, who will meet the team, passes or safety briefing, and protective clothing required.
• Areas: a list of buildings, halls and yards, the approximate number of locations, any unheated or unlit parts, and anything that is locked.
• Records: have the stock export sent now as a file, and confirm the date and the name of the system. Check that the file opens and contains item codes.
• Labels: what share of shelves and goods already carry labels, and whether labels must be printed on site.
• Help on the day: one person who knows the warehouse, a forklift and driver for high shelves, ladders, and a table with a power socket for the laptop and chargers.
• Conditions: indoor temperature in winter, lighting, and Wi-Fi or mobile signal at the site.
• Accommodation, transport and meals: the nearest hotel and its distance from the site, ideally one where the equipment can be charged and the data copied in the evening.

Equipment: take two of anything you cannot buy there

• One spare scanner or terminal for every three or four in use.
• Batteries and chargers for a full shift plus spares, with extension leads, multi-socket strips and power banks.
• A label printer, label stock and ribbons, at least a quarter more than the estimate.
• Paper count sheets, clipboards, pens, markers, tape and cable ties, so there is a way to record even when a device fails.
• A laptop holding the book export and mapping table, and a separate USB drive with a copy of the same files.
• Spare scanner cables and adapters.
• Personal protective equipment such as safety shoes, gloves and helmets where the site requires it, and the documents needed for entry.

Charge, update and test-scan everything in Tashkent the day before departure.

Build a buffer day into the schedule

For illustration, suppose the site is five hours away. On day 1 the team travels and walks the site in the afternoon. That walk is not wasted time: knowing a day earlier about blocked aisles, unlit zones and unlabelled shelves protects the first day of counting. Days 2 and 3 are for counting. Day 4 is for recounts and reconciliation, and the team returns on day 5. This plan contains one buffer day. If an unannounced delivery arrives or a power cut stops work, that day keeps the schedule intact. Avoid leaving on the evening the count ends, because a long drive after a long shift is tiring.

Protect the data every day

• At the end of each day, export the scan files, copy them to two places (laptop and USB drive) and check the line counts.
• Never leave the only copy on a device overnight.
• Since coming back is hard, finish the comparison for each zone on the same day whenever possible.

Rules for when something goes wrong

Agree them in advance so that time is not lost in discussion on site: who decides to extend by a day, which zones switch to paper, whom in Tashkent to call, and how to treat a book file that turns out to be wrong.

Summary

A regional count is won or lost before departure rather than on site. Get the answers in writing, pack two of everything you cannot buy locally and add a spare day, and one visit is enough. Smart Inventory travels to sites in Tashkent and in the regions, and before departure settles the points above with your local contact and checks the equipment.