A wrapper out of film at four in the afternoon
It is a good haylage day. The wrapper is following the baler across a customer's field, and at four o'clock the operator rings: last roll of film on the machine, none in the pickup. Someone drives back to the yard, finds the pallet in the shed is down to its last few rolls of the wrong colour, and rings the merchant, who can deliver tomorrow. The rest of the field waits, and the customer is not pleased.
Meanwhile, you are not sure how much wrap, net and twine went on each job this season. You buy by the pallet, stock moves from the yard to pickups to balers, and some customers supply their own film. When invoicing, wrap is charged per bale at a rate you set some years ago, which may or may not reflect what you now pay per roll.
Why consumables slip through the cracks
Wrap, net and twine are bought in bulk and used in small amounts, in many places, by many people.
| What happens | Why it is not recorded |
|---|---|
| Pallets delivered to the yard | The invoice is recorded, the stock is not counted |
| Rolls taken to pickups and balers | Nobody writes down what left the shed |
| Rolls used on each job | Operators change rolls without noting it |
| Customers supplying their own film | Agreed by phone, not recorded |
| Rolls carried over winter | Counted, if at all, in spring |
Usage per bale also varies. More layers of film for some customers, different net lengths, different bale sizes. A fixed recharge per bale set on old prices can be well away from what the job actually used.
What it costs to run out, or under-recharge
Running out mid-field stops work at the worst time: a good weather window, a customer waiting, and an operator standing idle. Emergency trips to the yard or the merchant cost time and fuel.
Under-recharging is quieter. If film prices rise and your per-bale rate does not, every bale wrapped is a little less profitable. Rolls given away on jobs where the customer was meant to supply their own are a direct loss. And year-end stock of wrap and net, which can be a large figure, is estimated from a quick look in the shed.
Stock, usage and recharges from one record
What we build is a consumables record that follows wrap, net and twine from delivery to the bale and onto the invoice.
- Deliveries are recorded from the merchant's invoice or delivery note: product, colour, width, rolls and price.
- Stock is held by location: the yard, each pickup, and each baler or wrapper. When rolls are moved, the operator taps the move on their phone.
- On each job, usage is worked out from the bale count and the number of layers or net turns set for that customer, and checked against roll changes the operator taps when they happen.
- Customer-supplied film is marked on the job, so it is not taken from your stock or recharged.
- When stock in the yard, or on a machine, falls below a level you set, you and the operator get a prompt, before the last roll goes on.
- Recharges go on the customer's invoice per bale or per roll, at the rate you set, which can follow the latest purchase price if you choose.
Year-end stock comes from the record, with a quick count to confirm, and the value is based on what you paid.
A haylage day that does not stop for film
In the morning the operator's phone shows two rolls of film on the wrapper and four in the pickup, enough for the day's bale count. At lunchtime the yard stock drops below your reorder level, and you order a pallet from the merchant for delivery tomorrow. At the end of the day the job records the bales wrapped, the layers, and the film used, and the customer's invoice carries the recharge at the current rate.
At the end of the season you see film, net and twine per customer and per bale, and what you paid for it, which is exactly what you need to set next year's rates.
Does your consumables stock look like this?
- You have run out of wrap, net or twine in the middle of a job.
- Nobody knows how many rolls are on each machine or pickup.
- Your per-bale recharge was set on old prices.
- Customer-supplied film is not recorded on jobs.
- Year-end stock of consumables is estimated.