5 Signs that you are in need of a Uniform Management System

Reading time: 4 minutes

Many companies still manage their workwear in a way that once seemed logical, using Excel spreadsheets, paper forms, files in the cabinets and emails.

When the number of employees increases or more divisions are added, problems add up. Orders get lost, returns are often forgotten, and no one really knows what’s in stock. The result? Time is wasted, a rise in frustration and unnecessary costs.

Do you recognise one or more of the signs below? Then it’s time to take a critical look at how uniform management is organised within your organisation and how it can be improved.

You spend too much time on administrative red tape

A new employee is starting next week. The process starts with a form that first goes to HR, then to the team leader, and finally to the supplier resulting in clothes for your new employee. And if something needs to be changed? Well, then the whole process starts all over again.

Many organisations spend hours manually processing orders, returns and adjustments every day. Everything goes through different communication channels and often there is only one colleague that knows everything. What happens when that person is not there? Then the process will temporarily stop.

When the administrative work starts to overcome the actual execution, that’s a clear sign that you should start using a uniform management system

You have lost overview of who owns what

Imagine an employee coming to you and asking, “What size trousers did I get again?” Or even worse, during an evaluation it turns out that there is no clear overview of which employee has received which clothing.

In organisations without centralised clothing management, this often becomes a search. Clothing is sometimes distributed multiple times or returns remain unopened in a box. What does this result in? Mistakes, discussions and no overview.

A uniform management system is the solution. It allows you to keep track of exactly what has been given to each employee, what has been returned and when new clothing can be ordered.

You have little control over inventory levels

A team leader calls: “We’ve run out of size 44 safety shoes.” But according to the inventory levels, there should still be five pairs in stock. It turns out that they are at another location or may have been given out long ago but never registered.

Without real-time insight into your stock levels, managing workwear is basically just a guessing game. This often leads to two problems that are both inconvenient and costly:

1. There are shortages, leaving employees empty-handed
2. The shelves are filled with sizes that no one wears

If you have control over your inventory, you can anticipate instead of just reacting. This not only saves money, but also a lot of frustration and valuable time.

You are processing orders manually

Every time an order comes in, it must be manually entered into an order system. Employees send their requests by email, often with incomplete information such as: “I think I’m a size medium.” Then it’s up to the person responsible to find the right items and process the order. One can only hope that the right items and sizes have been sent out.

This entire process is vulnerable to errors, causes delays and often depends on a handful of employees who understand the system. As soon as the workload increases or someone is absent, unnecessary delays and errors occur.

Sustainability is a hot topic. Returning clothing due to errors or inefficient management results in unnecessary transportation of clothing, excess packaging and waste of materials. This has a negative impact on the environment and is not in line with sustainable entrepreneurship. By optimising processes and minimising errors, the number of returns can be significantly reduced, contributing to lower CO₂ emissions and more efficient use of raw materials. Well-organised uniform management not only contributes to efficiency, but also to more sustainable business operations. When orders take longer than necessary or are frequently returned due to errors, this is a clear sign that something needs to change.

Your costs are rising

At first sight, uniform management may seem like a simple process, but there are several hidden costs. Think of situations such as duplicate orders, clothing arriving late, or incorrect sizes that cannot be returned and remain unused.

In addition, you should also consider the time of employees. There are various people involved in placing, managing and checking orders. All those hours add up and often come at the expense of important tasks. If you don’t have a clear overview of where the money is going within the clothing process, then that’s a sign that the process needs to be optimised.

Do you recognise these signs?

Do you recognise these 5 signs? Then it’s time to consider a more structured approach. With a uniform management system, you can optimise the process, get control over costs and stock, and work more efficiently with less errors.

Ecmanage is the uniform management system specially designed to support organisations. You receive real-time insight into orders and stock. Every employee can get access to an online portal and returns and changes are handled automatically.

Whether you have one or multiple locations, Ecmanage easily grows with you. Are you curious about what Ecmanage can do for your organisation? Request a demo without obligation and discover for yourself how easy uniform management can be.