Paper Inventory Management: A Lean Approach

The department is staffed by eight employees, six of whom are in production. One employee performs prepress tasks while another handles job requests and various other office duties. One of those duties is ordering supplies such as paper, toner cartridges, inks, etc.

Like most shops, the paper we use most is 20-lb. bond, which accounts for probably half the volume. The rest of the paper is quite varied and includes pre-punched three-hole and five-hole paper, colored bond, carbonless paper (both pre-assembled and unassembled), fine papers, label materials, digital papers, card stock, etc. Total inventory at any time is approximately $70,000.