There are many efficiency-related reasons that small business inventory management software can be put into use, but there's also customer safety to be concerned with. If your business isn't taking the steps to keep dangerous or tainted cargo away from your customer populace, then you're leaving yourself and your company open to possible liabilities.

The scenario of the dangerous shipment is one that could be terrifying to your production when it's discovered, especially when there are no checks in place to discourage defective products from escaping in a large scale. This can be particularly scary when children could potentially be exposed to dangerous items that come from your supply.

The Maritime Executive has a story about a series of hundreds of thousands of toy dolls that have been apprehended after they have been discovered to be tainted by a high amount of dangerous chemicals. Not only does this pose a dire threat to others and seem to be a disaster waiting to happen, it also represents a large-scale financial loss, as the items involved seem to be worth $500,000.

Because these shipments were dispersed over several cities, it is evident how important it is for these different shipments to be tracked and taken care of without disrupting normal processes. The Executive quoted Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, on the role that a strategic process is playing in finding these items.

"Through the use of a risk management system, we are targeting those shipments most likely to contain dangerous goods, while also allowing for faster processing of compliant products," Tenenbaum said.

But both before and after the fact, inventory management system  software can be put into use to minimize the risk as much as possible.