Pantry Stock and Asset Tracking for Coworking Centres
The module tracks consumables against reorder levels and equipment by tag and location. Service and warranty dates are held against the machines that need them.
Stock and assets in one record
Pantry supplies, chairs, printers and IT equipment are tracked from memory or in separate sheets. Here each item has a record, a location and a history. Housekeeping and the centre manager work from one list.
Two kinds of item, tracked differently
Practitioners treat these as two tracks. Consumables are counted by quantity and topped up. Assets are tagged one by one and entered in a register when tagged.
Setting a sensible reorder level
The usual method multiplies average daily use by the supplier’s lead time and adds a buffer. A centre that buys tea from a local shop and one that orders printer toner from another city need very different buffers.
What changes for the centre team
Which items deserve a tag
Tagging everything is a chore. Most centres tag by value and by risk of walking away.
- Screens, laptops and printers.
- Furniture issued to a member’s cabin.
- Machines with service contracts, such as the coffee machine and air conditioners.
- Fire extinguishers, since their refill dates matter.
- Not stationery or mugs, which belong under consumables.
An asset’s life from purchase to disposal
Every tagged item passes through the same stages. Writing them down makes the register easier to trust.
Connected screens
- Maintenance jobs: the service that a due date turns into.
- Member tickets: faults reported by members, such as a broken printer.
- Costs by centre: supplies and repairs added up per building.
Questions to settle before rollout.
Use a representative scenario to decide what this part of the system must show and where review is still needed.
Service and warranty dates
What proves that a planned task was actually completed?
Select an overdue entry in “Service and warranty dates”. Ask which work record closes it and what remains visible when the visit is postponed or only part of the job is done.
Background reading: ERPNext: maintenance plans
Pantry Stock and Asset Tracking for Coworking Centres
What happens to movements entered while a count is being checked?
For “Pantry Stock and Asset Tracking for Coworking Centres”, choose a count date and trace the movements around it. Agree who investigates a difference before an adjustment changes the available balance.
Background reading: ERPNext: stock reconciliation
Frequently asked questions
Do we need barcodes?
No. Most centres use a tag number written on the asset and entered when it moves. Barcodes become useful once the item count is large.
Can it track items across two buildings?
Yes. Every item belongs to a centre, and a transfer between buildings is recorded.
Does it raise the purchase order?
No. It produces the shortfall list along with what was consumed. The order goes to your supplier the way you send it today, by WhatsApp or email.
How are assets that a member brings in handled?
They can be logged against the member’s cabin and marked as the member’s own. That record is available on the day the member leaves.
Should the pantry be tracked at all?
For a small centre with little spend, perhaps not. Tracking pays off where several buildings buy the same items or where waste and pilferage are real worries.
How do we set the value of an asset?
You enter the cost and purchase date. Which items count as capital assets, and how they are written down, is for your accountant to decide.
Can an asset history show repairs?
Maintenance jobs and member tickets raised against an asset appear with it, so a printer that fails monthly is obvious.
Tell us what you need.
Share your requirements and one of our engineers will come back to you within one business day.
What happens after you share your requirements
- A senior engineer reads your answers. Nobody phones first.
- Within one business day you get a written note: what we understood, what we would start with, and the questions we still have.
- If it fits, a proposal follows with the order of work, what we need from you and what you receive at each step.
- No call is booked and nothing is paid until you have read the note. Your details stay with us.
Start with your requirements
Seven short steps that tell us what you need. A senior engineer reads them before anyone gets in touch.
Share your requirements