How to stop materials going missing in your workshop

The short version

When fabric, flour or timber vanishes, it rarely happens in one go. It leaks: a mis-cut here, an unrecorded purchase there, an offcut nobody counts.

You can't fix what you can't see. Here is a simple system.

1. Keep one list of materials

One list, with a unit for each item: yards, kilograms, sheets, pieces. If it's in three notebooks, it's in none.

2. Record every purchase

Every time materials come in, write down how much and at what price. This also keeps your costs accurate.

3. Know what each product should use

If an agbada uses 4.5 yards, you know what ten agbadas should use. This is your expected use.

4. Count every week

Pick a day. Count your most expensive materials. It takes minutes if you do it often.

5. Log waste, with a reason

Mis-cut. Spoiled batch. Offcut. Damaged in delivery. Most waste is honest. Logging it shows what it costs you and stops it hiding.

6. Compare expected with counted

Expected use minus counted stock is your gap. A small gap is normal. A growing gap tells you where to look.

7. Decide who can change what

When everyone can edit everything, numbers drift. Give people the access they need, and keep a record of changes.

How Sentralbee helps

• Materials list with units, suppliers and low-stock levels
• Products costed from their materials, so you know what each order should use
• Stock counts, to record what's actually on the shelf
• Waste log, with reasons and an approval step
• Roles and an audit trail, so you can see who changed what

See true cost, or book a free Clarity Review to set this up for your workshop.