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Web-Based Tool Vending Application

Easy Access to the Right Tools

Clever programming and ingenuity create a customer-friendly, low maintenance, scalable solution to a tool distribution company’s on-site stocking and inventory challenges.

Business Situation

The client distributes tools to manufacturing companies. Some of the applications for tool distribution called for an automated unmanned tool crib — a method that manufacturing companies could utilize to make tooling equipment available to their technicians without any human interaction. This method would also need to track the tools used by each technician and manage re-ordering and inventory control.

Technical Situation

A solution was proposed by the client utilizing programmable vending machines that could be deployed in each manufacturing facility. The glass front merchandiser would dispense tools just like a conventional vending machine dispenses snacks. The client could periodically stock these vending machines as the inventories fell below a reorder point. The final solution would need to keep track of inventory, allow access to tools by employee number, keep track of the tools request by employee, and automatically reorder tools.

Solution

Sierra Bravo developed an application to support a programmable vending machine created by Automated Products. The 123 Snackshop is a glass front vending machine with a serial interface, LED screen and keypad. The vending machine is designed to be controlled by software on a personal computer connected to the vending machine through a serial interface. Sierra Bravo developed an application to control the vending machine in Microsoft C# .NET and a web-based inventory control system using PHP and MySQL. The vending machine control program communicates with the web application over a web service.

Vending Machine Controller Application

The Microsoft C# .NET windows application was developed to communicate with the controller in the vending machine. The application can interact with one or many vending machines that are connected to the PC via a serial interface. The primary role of the vending machine controller application is to interact with the user and maintain a local inventory database to be synced with the web inventory database and available for offline functionality. The controller application also has a setup form where a user can manage the settings and remote connection information.

Tool dispensing and inventory control is managed via the key pad and LED screen on the vending machine. The controller application prompts the user for their employee ID and the part location that they wish to have dispensed from the machine. The application checks credentials, checks inventory for availability, and spins the coil to dispense the tool. After the tool is successfully dispensed, the local inventory is updated and the application updates the remote inventory using a web service.

The system tray on the controller PC has an icon for the Vending Controller software. Clicking on the tray icon opens the settings form. The user can manage the connection settings for the web service, vending machines connected to the PC, and application updates. The user can receive orders to a vending machine in order to update the inventory in the database.

Online Inventory Database

A central MySQL database maintains the inventory for all of the vending machines that are deployed for the client. This database has a web interface written in PHP where an administrator can manage inventory, machines, orders, users and user groups. The website is setup to automatically create new orders when reorder points are hit in the inventory.

Benefits

The benefits of the vending machine-based unmanned tool crib include automatic reordering, more accurate usage tracking, personal costs savings, and reduced number of trips for delivery. The automatic reordering is probably the biggest benefit to the unmanned tool crib. When inventory levels of import tools fall below the reorder point, automatic orders are triggered. This will insure that the machine is restocked in a timely manner so that the important tools are available to the technicians.

Tracking the technician that uses each tool is another benefit that the client will realize with the unmanned tool crib. The employee is required to enter their ID, password and optional job number before the machine will dispense a tool. The ID and Job Number are stored in the database transaction log. Engman-Taylor is able to download reports of vending machine activity by company and date range via the website.

End users realize some cost savings with the unmanned tool crib as they will not need any personal to manage it. Engman-Taylor sets up and maintains the vending machines and the technicians can interact with them directly to get the tools they need.

The client’s delivery drivers benefit from the unmanned tool crib through more accurate reorders. Instead of relying on client personal to order tools, the drivers will be able to only make trips when a reorder point has been reached in inventory.

Products, Services and Tools Used:

  • Apache Server
  • MySQL database
  • PHP 4
  • Microsoft C# .NET 2.0
  • Updater auto update application GVH software
  • SOAP web services
  • Automatic Products 123 Snackshop equipment
  • Microsoft Access

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