The Challenge: Paperwork and Inefficiency
At its central maturation site in Airdrie, International Beverage manages around 600,000 casks across more than 50 warehouses — one of Scotland’s largest warehousing operations.
Historically, the warehouse relied on paper-based processes to record every receipt, relocation, and stock adjustment. These manual records were later keyed into the core DRAMS application by the Admin team. The approach was time-consuming and prone to error, with incomplete paperwork often leading to inaccurate cask location data.
“We were spending a lot of time in the warehouses trying to locate specific casks. It was really hectic sometimes,” recalls Declan McDonagh, Warehouse Production Manager.
Locating the right casks for dumping or dispatch became a daily operational challenge. Leadership at International Beverage recognised the need to modernise these processes to increase accuracy, improve compliance, and free up staff time for higher-value work.
The Solution: Implementing DRAMS Scan
International Beverage made the decision to implement DRAMS Scan, the mobile scanning module integrated with the DRAMS inventory management system.
“A key benefit of DRAMS is the ability to expand with additional modules that support our future operations,” explains Declan.
With handheld scanners, warehouse operators can now locate and validate cask movements electronically. Picklists are generated within DRAMS, and barcode scanning confirms the correct casks are withdrawn. Data syncs automatically with the core DRAMS system, ensuring every movement is digitally recorded and traceable.
Declan led a project team to roll out DRAMS Scan in phases. The initial focus was on barcode-assisted stocktaking, before extending to all cask movements.
“The DRAMS team spent time onsite to understand our processes and design a solution that improved productivity,” says Declan. “The phased approach minimised disruption and built user confidence as staff saw how repetitive tasks, such as recording bulk movements, became far more streamlined.”
Integration was seamless, and the support from DRAMS’ customer service team ensured any challenges were quickly resolved.
The Results: Accuracy, Productivity, and Compliance
Today, DRAMS Scan underpins all major warehouse operations — from stocktaking and receipting to dispatches, customer removals, and disgorging.
- Scale of adoption: The warehouse team now complete over 1,500 transactions per day, in less time and with far greater accuracy.
- Operational efficiency: Paperwork has been virtually eliminated. Admin teams focus on spot checks and error prevention rather than rekeying data.
- Compliance assurance: Each transaction is traceable through a complete barcode scanning history. Supervisor controls prevent errors from being validated, strengthening audit compliance.
- Improved planning: Accurate, real-time stock data enables more effective withdrawal planning and better-informed decisions.
“Integrating barcode scanning with our core DRAMS application has transformed how we work,” says Declan. “We spend less time searching for casks, we’ve reduced errors, and we can now demonstrate complete traceability to auditors. DRAMS Scan has been invaluable for compliance as well as productivity.”
Conclusion
By moving from paper-based processes to real-time digital cask tracking, International Beverage has significantly modernised its warehousing operations. The implementation of DRAMS Scan at the Airdrie site has delivered measurable gains in efficiency, accuracy, and compliance — providing a scalable platform for the company’s future whisky production needs.
