In the building materials industry, real-time stock visibility is often the difference between making the sale—or missing the job deadline. When inventory is spread across multiple yards, warehouses, and even regions, having disconnected systems or outdated data can lead to:
Stockouts
Over-ordering
Customer delays
Costly internal transfers
But with the right technology, smart strategy, and strong team adoption, companies can transform stock visibility into a competitive advantage.
In this case study, we’ll explore how one growing distributor implemented a real-time inventory visibility solution across multiple yards—and the impact it had on their operations, customer service, and profitability.
📍 Company Background
Name: Redwood Building Supply (fictional name)
Footprint: 7 yards + 1 central warehouse
Locations: Midwestern U.S.
Product Focus: Lumber, piping, roofing materials, fasteners, adhesives, and drywall
Previous Setup: Manual stock transfers, disconnected spreadsheets, and limited visibility between yards
🔍 The Challenge
As Redwood expanded, it faced several critical issues:
Inconsistent inventory data: Each yard tracked stock differently, with updates happening only once daily (at best).
Slow internal transfers: Stock that was available in one yard would be reordered unnecessarily in another, leading to excess and shortages.
Sales blind spots: Reps couldn’t confirm stock availability across locations in real time, leading to missed sales and poor quoting accuracy.
Customer frustration: Jobsite deliveries were delayed or split between multiple trucks due to poor inventory coordination.
“We were making decisions in the dark. Inventory would say ‘available’ in the system, but it was already on a truck—or hadn’t been received yet.”
– Operations Manager, Redwood Building Supply
🛠️ The Solution: Centralized, Real-Time Inventory System
Redwood partnered with an ERP provider built specifically for multi-yard building materials operations. Key features of the rollout included:
Bin-level tracking at each yard
Live syncing across all locations
Mobile scanning for receiving, transfers, and picking
Real-time dashboards showing available, in-transit, and reserved stock
Stock transfer requests processed in-system with tracking updates
They also trained all warehouse and yard staff on mobile ERP devices, and standardized location codes across the network.
📈 The Results
✅ 1. 90% Reduction in Stocking Errors
By syncing real-time inventory data between yards and updating stock automatically upon receiving, Redwood dramatically reduced discrepancies.
✅ 2. 35% Increase in Transfer Speed
Internal transfer requests were routed through the ERP, tracked end-to-end, and fulfilled without manual phone calls or paperwork. This improved regional material balancing and delivery timing.
✅ 3. Sales Team Confidence Boost
Sales reps could now:
View stock availability at all yards instantly
Quote accurately with location-based delivery timelines
Suggest product substitutions based on real-time yard stock
“We now win business we used to lose simply because we couldn’t confirm availability fast enough.”
– Sales Lead, Redwood Building Supply
✅ 4. 15% Decrease in Over-Ordering
With better visibility and smarter forecasting, Redwood avoided duplicate PO creation and held leaner inventory—freeing up space and cash flow.
✅ 5. Improved Customer Experience
Customers received:
Faster delivery ETAs
Fewer split shipments
Consistent communication from sales to fulfillment
Jobsite delays dropped significantly due to smarter order staging and better visibility of stock movements between yards.
🧠 Lessons Learned
Redwood’s leadership identified 3 key takeaways from their success:
Technology alone isn’t enough—process alignment and staff buy-in were critical to success.
Mobile devices were essential to keeping data current and accessible on the floor and in the yard.
Training never ends—especially as staff rotate between locations or roles.
Final Thoughts
Redwood Building Supply’s journey shows that real-time stock visibility is more than a logistics upgrade—it’s a business transformation. For any distributor managing multiple locations, centralized inventory data becomes the backbone of smoother operations, better service, and sustainable growth.
If you’re expanding and still relying on delayed updates or location-specific spreadsheets, it’s time to follow Redwood’s lead—and see how real-time visibility can drive real-world results.
