Warehouse Inventory Control System: Keeping Inventory Accurate, Auditable, and Ready to Ship

Inventory control is what keeps growth from turning into chaos

A warehouse inventory control system matters because inventory problems compound fast. Research shows that as order volume and SKU counts grow, small process gaps become large accuracy gaps. Those gaps show up as stockouts, oversells, late shipments, and support tickets. Inventory control is not paperwork. It is the operating system that keeps counts aligned with reality so the business can keep its promises.

Many brands come to G10 after learning that growth without control is just a larger mess. They had inventory on hand, but the warehouse could not locate it. They had purchase orders inbound, but inventory did not become available fast enough. They had a WMS, but not a true control system that enforced discipline at every step.

As Maureen Milligan said, "Most of the customers who come to us from another 3PL, their challenges have always been access to their data, order accuracy and efficiency, and basically just meeting the committed requirements. So we've seen a lot of people come disillusioned by their last 3PL, where their orders weren't getting fulfilled in time, their inventory accuracy was not there, and they were not able to satisfy customer orders." A warehouse inventory control system is one of the clearest ways to fix that disillusionment because it makes inventory accuracy measurable and repeatable.

Control requires real time tracking of inventory events

A warehouse inventory control system has to reflect what is happening right now. If updates happen later, control becomes reactive instead of preventive. Research shows that delayed receiving updates and delayed movement updates create oversells and stockouts because the system does not reflect physical reality quickly enough.

Bryan Wright described the level of event tracking that supports real time visibility when he said, "Absolutely. We have portals that show you the data. We have history that shows you all of that tracking. It shows the product landed on the dock at 8 o'clock. At 8:10, John picked it up and took it to location XYZ, and at 10 o'clock, we picked two items off of that pellet in the location 1, 2, 3, 4, order, you know, ABC, and at 11 o'clock, we packed it, we put it in this box and put this label number on it, and all the way through the process onto the truck and to the customer." A control system needs this same kind of timestamped history for every inventory movement and status change.

Scan-based execution is the foundation of inventory control

Inventory control systems fail when warehouses rely on paper, memory, or shortcuts. Control requires scan-based execution because scans create proof at each step and prevent silent movement.

As Connor Perkins said, "You want everything to be scanned in the warehouse, nothing done on paper. You can lose a lot of money in this industry by you know having people ship stuff wrong, or store it wrong, and now it's lost somewhere. So having a 3PL and WMS that is 100% scan-based is crucial." Scan-based execution is what turns a warehouse into a controlled environment rather than a place where inventory drifts.

Connor also said, "One of the pain points our clients have experienced with previous 3PLSs is inventory accuracy; maybe their previous 3PL wasn't great at picking the orders accurately. So they were losing money by shipping wrong items or wrong quantities of items." Control systems reduce this risk by enforcing correct locations, correct picks, and correct quantity validation through scanning.

Receiving and putaway are the first control points

Inventory control begins at receiving. If inbound inventory is received incorrectly, or if putaway locations are not captured accurately, the system starts with a mistake. Research shows that receiving discipline is a major driver of inventory accuracy because it defines the baseline for all future movements.

A warehouse inventory control system should record expected versus received quantities, highlight variances, and require validated putaway locations. That structure keeps inventory discoverable and reduces time wasted searching.

Location control keeps pick speed high and errors low

Location control is where warehouses either become efficient or become chaotic. If inventory can be placed anywhere without validation, inventory becomes hard to find, and picks slow down. Research shows that location accuracy reduces labor waste because it eliminates hunting and rework.

A strong control system enforces location rules, captures relocations through scans, and keeps replenishment movements visible. That keeps pick faces stocked, reduces travel time, and supports consistent throughput.

Allocation rules protect available-to-sell inventory

Inventory control is not only about where inventory sits. It is also about inventory state. Available inventory is not the same as allocated inventory, and allocated inventory is not the same as shipped inventory. Research shows that oversells often happen when these states are not enforced consistently across channels.

A warehouse inventory control system should enforce clear states and update them in real time as inventory is allocated, picked, packed, and shipped. That prevents the business from selling the same unit twice.

Cycle counts and audits turn control into continuous improvement

Cycle counting is the correction mechanism, but control systems should also help prevent discrepancies in the first place. Research shows that targeted cycle counting improves accuracy faster than random counting when it is paired with transaction history that explains why variances happened.

A warehouse inventory control system should make cycle counts easy to run, easy to record, and easy to tie back to the movement history that caused the discrepancy. That turns counting into learning.

Transaction history makes control defensible

When something goes wrong, control systems need to answer hard questions quickly. Transaction history is what provides that answer. It shows what changed, when it changed, and who touched it.

As Connor said, "Our clients get best-in-class visibility and transparency. They can see their daily orders, they can see KPIs, and they can see historical transactions. They can look at a daily level or go into the more granular version where they're looking at transactional history on an item." A warehouse inventory control system becomes stronger when you can drill into that history instead of guessing.

He also said, "You have easy access to reporting and you can export to Excel, or really any format that you like you know directly from our WMS portal." Reporting access helps brands audit control performance and share evidence internally.

Portals extend inventory control beyond the warehouse floor

Inventory control is not only for warehouse managers. Brands, planners, and customer support teams need access to inventory truth. A portal that exposes inventory levels, order status, and accuracy signals makes control usable across the business.

As Maureen said, "We're in the last stages of developing a new portal that will give customers real-time visibility to their on-time order fulfillment, inventory accuracy, and even inventory levels so that they can monitor those things directly in our systems." A portal makes control practical because brands can monitor inventory levels directly and confirm that the system matches reality.

She added, "A lot of the 3PL customer expectations are that order fulfillment is happening extremely timely, that our inventory is accurate, that we're able to execute on their orders very quickly, and get them shipped the same day. So what these real-time portals provide our customers is 100% visibility." Inventory control becomes meaningful when the business can see it.

Control reduces stockouts, oversells, and late orders

When inventory is controlled, planning becomes easier. Orders ship on time more often. Stockouts and oversells become less frequent. Support volume drops because customers receive what they ordered. Research shows that inventory accuracy is one of the most important drivers of a predictable post-purchase experience because inventory truth determines whether orders can ship as promised.

As Maureen said, "We will take in your inbounds, we will get them received and reported back to you within our SLAs, and oftentimes more quickly than what we contracted for. We will ship your orders out the day they're required. And our inventory accuracy is generally right there at that 99.7% that we agreed. So that's one of the areas where we really do excel, and where we've been able to win business." Inventory control supports that performance by keeping counts and locations aligned with reality.

Inventory control rebuilds confidence after bad 3PL experiences

Brands often switch 3PLs because they were tired of vague answers and unreliable counts. A warehouse inventory control system rebuilds confidence by making inventory accurate, auditable, and accessible.

As Maureen said, "For customers who have come to us from a bad 3PL relationship, they experience relief. They're suddenly seeing their business scaling, that the data supports what we agreed to, and then the trust begins to build." Control contributes to that relief because it makes inventory truth stable enough to plan around.

Warehouse inventory control systems are now essential

As fulfillment becomes faster and more complex, control is not optional. A warehouse inventory control system requires real time event capture, scan-based execution, transaction history, portals, and reporting that supports continuous improvement.

As Connor said, "This is one of our strengths. G10 is on the cutting edge for this kind of transparency and feedback for clients." If your brand wants fewer variances, fewer stockouts, fewer oversells, and fewer late orders, strengthening inventory control is a practical step.

If you want to see what inventory control looks like when every movement is scanned and every change is traceable in real time, ask for a walkthrough that maps your current inventory pain points to a clearer, more defensible visibility model.