Supplying steel should be simple – right? Well, as you probably already know it is not!

There are a number of extra things associated with buying and selling steel that are not an issue with other products. For example steel comes in different units of measure, is too large to bring to the counter and there is wastage. POS Software for a steel supplier should be able to handle these types of industry specific requirements.

Below we list things to consider when choosing a point of sale system for the steel industry.

1. POS Software with different units of measure

Steel is purchased and sold in a number of different units of measure such as lineal meter, fixed lengths, sheets, weight and packs etc. Ensuring the POS software can handle all of these is critical. Also a handy feature for the system to have is the ability to tally up different lengths of steel which have the same product code.

2. Steel suppliers buy in one unit of measure sell in another

With many different units of measure comes another complexity, customers don’t always buy in the same unit of measure in which it was purchased. For example, the POS software should allow for purchasing by weight then sell by meter.

3. POS system that can handle processing of steel

If you’re a steel supplier you probably also provide related services such as cut-to-size, bending, folding, drilling, galvanizing or powder coating. It’s handy to have POS software that can handle this. For example, you should be able to account for wastage and automatically increase the price for cutting.

4. Wholesale, trade and retail POS software

Steel suppliers often sell to different customer groups, each with their own prices and price breaks. A system that can handle these different customer groups makes life much easier.

5. Barcode labels

Not all steel is individually bar-coded so a system that can print barcode labels in various sizes for products, racks, shelves and pallets is great to have.

6. Portable barcode readers

Usually steel can’t be brought to the counter to process the sale due to its size. This is where portable barcode readers can be very useful. With a portable barcode reader in hand, staff can scan multiple barcodes as they walk around the yard with the customer.

There are many different POS systems Australia wide but not all are suitable for the steel industry. Choosing the right one will ensure the steel yard operates more efficiently.