VIM - USG Robotics Inc.

Virtual Inventory Management

In the natural stone industry, viewing available material is a very important factor because of the varying characteristics and inconsistent nature of colors, pattern, veining, etc.. It is important not only to customers or whomever the end-user of the product may be, but to companies as well. Most customers and companies will not buy material that they can’t see because the possibility of change is frequent and finding the time or means to visit the material in person is often difficult. This is why quarries take random pictures of their material and email it to companies. This is also why companies have set up accounts with online photo-hosting sites. But these methods often leave doubt about actually receiving that specific material and, in most cases, consist of one photograph meant to represent multiple pieces that can have dramatic differences.

USG Robotics has taken a different approach to the demand that everyone has for these pictures by creating VIM or Virtual Inventory Management. This is an online photographic SQL Database that allows quarries or companies to take calibrated pictures of all of their material and supply all information pertinent to that material. This is done while also giving these companies the ability to browse and tag that material for their customers anywhere internet is available, guarantee that customers will actually receive that material, and produce calibrated images capable of being used with other software.

Photographing Material

When taking pictures for a VIM site, the only requirement is the use of a Canon EOS Camera. There is no need for backdrops, extra lighting, etc., but these things are purchased based on individual company’s existing lighting and their desires to present their material as graphically and accurately as possible. When a company takes a picture with VIM, the image gets calibrated for size and the slab information (Color, Container, Lot, Slab, etc….) is input. These pictures are automatically hosted through the VIM software that runs on that company’s computer or server. The material is given a unique ID number and barcode label and is instantly available to be browsed and tagged online.

Finding Material

By selecting a color name from a drop-down list and inputting a minimum size, if needed, customers and companies can quickly find the exact material they are looking for. VIM will find all of the available material matching the given criteria and will display large thumbnails of the photographs along with the slab information. These thumbnails can be selected to view the photograph of the material. In this high-definition view, users can zoom in to get a closer look of the detail in the material.

VIM can also be attached to a company’s existing website or be used as a standalone. This means that customers can see every piece of available material (slab, remnant, tile, etc.). This will also allow someone looking online for a fabricator to see a company’s material and find something they like before ever stopping in a showroom. They can see this material in the same place that it will be installed, their home, which gives that company the upper-hand over other companies in the area. In addition, when customers do want to see the material in person, they come prepared with a narrowed down selection of colors. This lowers the amount of time spent with them in the warehouse, increases safety by lowering the amount of material to be moved, and lowers the risk of damage to the material.

VIM also gives employees the ability to stay up to date on which material is in stock and allows them to actually see the colors, patterns, etc. of every slab. Even if the customer is at the warehouse or in a satellite showroom, VIM can be extremely useful. Some companies have chosen to install large flat-screen TVs in their showroom so that customers can view the material in a larger scale. This is a great help because a salesperson can present samples of the material, which gives the customer the ability to touch the material and see true color while also viewing the full slabs. The salesperson can also narrow down color choices before taking the customer into the warehouse, once again increasing safety and lowering liability.

Tagging Material

When a customer finds material that he or she is interested in, employees, who are given a username and password, can login to VIM. Here, when they click on a thumbnail, that material is temporarily removed from the system, which eliminates the possibility of double-tagging. During these five minutes they can assign a job number, name and area to that material. Once the material is tagged, VIM will store this information, remove the material from available inventory and instantly print a new barcode label at the warehouse. This label will show the customer information along with the original slab information and unique ID number and can be placed on the slab as a hold.

While logged in, users can also view all of the tagged material. They can view all of the original slab information, the picture, and the data about when it was tagged and even who tagged it. Users can do so by searching for specific job numbers or by browsing through the material. This allows them to go back and see the material if customers have a question or are requesting additional service. This function also allows a company to have proper paperwork to help dispute any claims that customers might place.

Inventory

Currently, VIM has a separate inventory program that allows users to open the database, make changes to slab information, and export the entire SQL Database to Microsoft Excel. The program can be installed on an off-site computer and linked directly to VIM so that warehouse managers or office personnel can have access. After exporting the database to Excel, the data can be manipulated so that inventory can be itemized, or logging of material tagged for set dates can be captured. In the very near future VIM will be creating a link into Moraware and possibly other software programs so that full reporting features can be used.

Using Calibrated Images

Because the images in VIM are calibrated to capture the exact size of the material, these pictures can be used with other software. Most specifically, these images can be used to create digital layouts with VeinMatch, the USG Robotics digital layout software.

Features

Easy high-precision camera calibration
Unlimited sales accounts for all of your showrooms
Advanced algorithms and optical models precisely map each pixel
High resolution images
Automatically create job folders for organized, offline programming
Powerful search options that allow you to search your inventory by color, item, size and more
Highly-compressed thumbnail images for fast access, even on lower speed Internet connections
Integrated web server
Slab checkout functionality prevents double-tagging
Prints barcode labels with slab information and a unique slab ID number
Prints barcode labels as material is tagged