How long a stock count takes: estimating the time

Nobody can answer "how many days will it take you to count the warehouse?" without seeing the site. But before ordering you can estimate the time roughly yourself. You only need four facts: the number of positions, the number of places, the type of goods and the size of the team. Below is a simple calculation and some ways to bring it close to reality.

What decides the duration

The time a count takes is affected by the following:

• Number of positions. Finding each article, confirming it and entering the quantity takes time. When counting by box or pallet, whether a position holds 500 pieces or 5 hardly changes the work, because most of the time goes not on pieces but on moving to the position.
• Number of places. Walking up to each bin or rack and reading its code is a separate cost.
• Type of goods. Large and heavy items, loose small parts, goods without a code and goods counted by batch or expiry go more slowly.
• Degree of order. If one item lies in three places with no label, the time rises sharply.
• Team size. The more counters, the faster, but only if the warehouse is properly divided into zones.

A simple formula

The pure working time is found roughly like this: (number of positions × seconds per position + number of places × seconds per place) ÷ number of counters.

Take some conditional figures for an example. 3,000 positions at 25 seconds each on average: 75,000 seconds. 400 bins at 40 seconds each: 16,000 seconds. In total 91,000 seconds, or about 25 hours. With five counters the pure time comes to about five hours.

The seconds are only an illustration. Count 20 to 30 positions in your own warehouse, time them and put your own figure into the formula: the estimate will come out much closer to reality.

The same formula works for a small shop. 800 positions (at 25 seconds: 20,000 seconds) and 60 shelves (at 40 seconds: 2,400 seconds) make 22,400 seconds, about 6 hours. With two counters the pure time is around three hours, four with a margin. So such a shop can be counted in one night after closing.

A margin for breaks, recounts and waiting

Add at least a third to the pure time. This margin goes on breaks, walking, questions and recounts. In the example above, adding a third to five hours gives about 6.5 to 7 hours, which is one long shift. In the busiest sales periods, such as before a holiday or during a promotion, your own staff are busy too, so allow a bigger margin.

Count recounts separately. Positions with a difference are counted a second time. If a tenth of the list is recounted, 300 of the 3,000 positions are looked at again. In a tidy warehouse that share is small; in a neglected one it is much larger.

Time until the result

The end of the count does not mean the result is ready. Reconciliation, checking the differences and assembling the report take their own time, usually a few hours or one or two working days. In the contract, write "count deadline" and "report delivery deadline" as two separate lines, so there is no misunderstanding between the expected and the actual date. If the result has to be loaded into 1C, leave time for checking the file as well.

How to shorten the time

1. Put the warehouse in order beforehand: one item in one place, labels visible.
2. Before the count, prepare a list of uncoded and problem positions.
3. Divide the warehouse into zones and plan for the team to work in parallel.
4. Hand over the balance file in advance, updated to the last day.
5. Choose a time with fewer sales and dispatches: the evening or a day off.
6. Name one responsible person to answer questions on count day: waiting also eats into working time.

Conclusion

Estimating the time needs no complex calculation: count the positions and places, time your own speed, divide by the team size and add a margin. At StockCheck, after you order, a manager confirms the size and timing, visits the site if needed and gives the count deadline and the report deadline separately.