Automation Hero April 2020: Shamil Patel from Allparts

Shamil Patel, Director at Allparts, has driven the change from using “paper and pen” to now using an automated tool for inventory optimization. This has resulted in more satisfied customers and healthier stock. That’s why he’s EazyStocks’s Automation Hero for April! 

Name: Shamil Patel
Title: Director
Company: Allparts

Congratulations on winning the award, Shamil! Can you please tell us a little about yourself, where you work and what your role is?
Thanks! It’s a family-run business that my father started over 30 years ago in Kenya, wholesaling vehicle service items in our own brand name “Allparts”. Until I joined as a director of the company in 2002, the company books were exclusively paper and pen! My role was, and still is, to improve functionality, decrease overhead costs and ultimately increase profitability. 

What “red flags” made you realize that you needed to invest in automation?
When I joined the company, there were no digital records. As it was still a small company with only 20 SKUs, an Excel sheet with formulas was enough to help forecast imports. Now with over 2,000 SKUs, I realized it’s nearly impossible to keep control with an outdated forecasting Excel sheet that no longer supported our needs. It was time to look for software that specialized in inventory management and EazyStock ticked all the right boxes. 

How has your work changed since you implemented EazyStock?
Work has changed tremendously since implementing EazyStock; I used to spend most of my time trying to figure out what, when and how to import from 2,000 SKUs individually. It was an extremely tedious job that I am glad is over! I now have a lot more time to concentrate on other aspects of my business that needed my attention. 

How has automation with EazyStock helped Allparts?
It has helped us in different ways. We now have the right amount of stock at the right time resulting in a drop in “loss of sales”. It has helped us get rid off stock that we didn’t realize was “non-moving” and, most importantly, we are not overstocked resulting in a drop in bank interest rates. Overall, EazyStock has played a big role in keeping our customers satisfied as there is always consistent stock when they need it while simultaneously minimizing costs.  

What other types of automation tools do you use today? What do you think about the future of automation?
EazyStock is the only automation tool we use today. I think automation is something that we will all need. It helps decrease the time it takes to do jobs that are currently manually done, resulting in increased productivity and reducing overhead costs. This will mean more people will have more time to concentrate on other key elements that need attention. 

Thank you Shamil and congratulations again!

If you would like to nominate a colleague, customer or partner for next month’s Automation Hero, please fill out the contact form here.