Warehouse systems integrator Breathe Technologies has launched Stock IQ, a new inventory management module for its BreatheIQ software platform. Already running with AutoStore at its first live site, a UK eCommerce operation, Stock IQ gives warehouse operations an accurate, real-time view of what is in stock and where, without the cost or complexity of an enterprise WMS.
Stock IQ records every stock movement as it happens, from goods-in and putaway through to pick, pack and stock checks, building a continuous inventory record. It can plug into an existing WMS or run as a standalone inventory management system, and is designed for fully automated, hybrid and manual operations.
The launch adds a new dimension to Breathe Technologies software platform taking it into inventory. Alongside its other modules from picking to automation based modules such as WES and WCS the platform now covers the full stock lifecycle, from goods-in to despatch.
Inventory problems start with trust
Inventory errors rarely come from one big failure. A quantity is keyed in incorrectly, stock is put away to a different location from the one the system recorded, or a pick isn’t confirmed. Each mistake is small, but the system carries it forward, and the gap grows until a picker finds an empty location or a stock check doesn’t reconcile.
Cycle counting corrects the record, but only for the locations counted and only at that moment. Between counts, errors keep building, and the cost shows up in short picks, unfulfilled orders and, ultimately, the customer experience.
Stock IQ replaces that periodic snapshot with continuous monitoring. Because every movement is recorded in real time, cycle counting becomes an ongoing process rather than a disruptive event, and data insights track KPIs and trends, highlighting unexpected deviations before they become problems.
Guiding the operator, not just recording the stock
Stock IQ also guides the people doing the work. Clear on-screen instructions show each operator what to do next, with tote images showing what goes where and a 3D pack view showing how each order fits. Speed and accuracy no longer depend on who is on shift.
Start where you are, scale when you’re ready
While Stock IQ is proven with AutoStore, the software also runs fully manual or partly automated operations and can connect to an automated pallet store as a business grows. That means operations can extend the system they already have rather than replacing it. Breathe is also working with automated storage integrators, adding Stock IQ as the software layer on the systems they supply.
For manual warehouses in particular, Stock IQ and Pick IQ together deliver accurate stock and efficient picking without a major WMS project. Stock IQ tells the operation what it holds and where, and Pick IQ works out the fastest way to go and get it.
Philip Rowlands, Software Development Director at Breathe Technologies, said: “Accurate inventory is the foundation everything else in the warehouse depends on. If you can’t trust what the system says is on the shelf, every pick, every replenishment decision and every customer promise carries risk. Stock IQ gives operations that confidence in real time, whether they run AutoStore, manual racking or a mix of both. It also gives BreatheIQ a complete picture of the stock it’s optimising, which is what lets us take a joined-up approach to the whole warehouse rather than improving one process in isolation.”
Find out more about Stock IQ at https://breathetech.co.uk/solutions/software/stockiq/
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