Materials can be half of a project’s cost. Even small percentages of wastage or pilferage add up to serious money.
Keep a ledger, not a balance
Record every receipt, issue, transfer, return and wastage entry. A balance tells you what you have; a ledger tells you why.
Issue against work, not on request
Tie each issue to a project and activity so consumption can be compared with the work actually done.
Count regularly
Monthly physical counts with variance posting keep book stock honest and surface problems early.
Set reorder levels
Low-stock alerts prevent emergency purchases at premium prices.