Cell Phone Inventory Easily Manageable With IMEI Numbers

Business that retail or distribute phones have to pay a lot of attention to their inventory. Devices like smartphones and tablets are expensive but because they come in relatively small packaging, they are at a relatively high risk of inventory losses.  Serialization makes inventory management effective for not just the phone industry but also for many other products. For phones, serialization of inventory depends entirely on the unique IMEI number of each phone.

IMEI Numbers are Important

The International Mobile Equipment Identification number is a 15-digit code containing information regarding the phone’s model, origin, and serial number of the device assigned by not just the manufacturer but also GSM (Global System for Mobile communication). The first 14 digits are decided by GSM and the latter by the phone manufacturer. It can usually be found on the phone’s packaging, under the battery slot, or can also be accessed by dialing *#06#. The IMEI number is linked with the SIM slots as well, so if you have a dual-sim phone then it will also have dual identification numbers with slight variation.
The main purpose of developing the IMEI number was so that hardware can be tracked effectively. And hence, it’s also connected with the SIM slot so that physical tracking can be done. This arrangement makes it possible to enhance security and discourage phone theft. Using the IMEI number phones can be blocked or located through GPS tracking. In many countries, changing IMEI number of a phone through special equipment is considered as a hefty offence.
So now that we’ve established that IMEI numbers are quite important, what would happen if phone traders did not serialize their inventory? However, for that, we need to discuss effective inventory control.

Inventory Control For Phones

Inventory management is the practice of efficiently setting the level of inventory to achieve operational excellence. Because it is an operational activity, it needs to be looked after constantly. Stock sales and purchases occur every day and inventories keep fluctuating. The business needs to have an efficient mechanism to know exactly how much inventory is available and make purchasing decisions for future requirements accordingly. It’s easy to track stock when the distribution network isn’t as big, such as of a local bakery for example, where the goods are distributed not far from their point of origin. However, in case of phones, we are talking about a global supply network that’s connecting multiple parties across multiple channels.

The Global Supply Chain

From the perspective of a global supply chain, phones are distributed worldwide through many distribution channels. These handsets exchange hands many times and oftentimes they need to be sent back to the main manufacturer or supplier for repairs. In this way, IMEI numbers provide a way for all parties involved to synchronize their inventory with high accuracy. If this did not exist the wholesalers and retailers would be facing a lot of issues.

The Problems Without IMEI

Without an efficient tracking system like the IMEI number wholesalers and traders that are part of the phone business could expect to face all of these issues:
  • Synchronizing received inventory between suppliers would be close to impossible. If a wholesaler dealt with multiple suppliers, they would have to invest in their own tracking system with each individual supplier. Resulting in added costs and a lot of difficulties. There would be no universal way to link the shipment of each phone with the stock received by a customer.

  • Because there would be no universal tracking system, sending phones back for repair would be difficult as well. Imagine testing phones of a similar model with each phone having a different defect, the only way to easily differentiate each phone would be through the IMEI number. The shipper would also want confirmation that the phones being sent back actually belonged to them initially.

  • IMEI number barcodes can be used by intelligent inventory phone management software for phones to automatically add or subtract stock into the system. It helps in order fulfillment and relevant information about a specific phone can be saved against it, like make, model, color, storage, or any defects that were found during testing.


Conclusion

So, we can see that IMEI numbers have enabled intelligent inventory management systems for efficient tracking and collaboration between channel partners. It only makes sense for more and more phone traders to utilize the unique serialization that already exists and implement smart systems that help skyrocket their operational efficiency.

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