Inventor-e
Inventor-e (iNVENTORe) is a UK-based intelligent inventory management provider founded in 2001, combining patented IoT hardware (vending machines, weight-sensor bins, NFC/BLE asset tags) with its Sourcerer cloud platform to deliver real-time stock visibility and automated reordering for manufacturers, distributors, facilities managers, and van fleet operators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersSolihull, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Inventor-e does
Inventor-e (trading as iNVENTORe) is a UK-based intelligent inventory management solutions provider founded in 2001 in Solihull by CEO Dean Henry. The company combines patented IoT hardware — industrial vending machines (iVendSecure, iVendLocker, iVendScale+), weight-sensor bins (iBinScale), NFC/BLE asset tracking tags (Smartie), automated replenishment bins (TwinBin Live), and site gateways (iSite) — with the proprietary Sourcerer cloud platform, which provides real-time stock visibility, automated reordering, audit trails, and integration with customers' existing MRP/ERP systems. The company holds granted patents on its weight-sensor bin technology and Smartie asset tags, and claims to be the first firm in the world to provide weight-sensor bins.
The company serves manufacturers, distributors, facilities/store managers, and van fleet operators across verticals including aerospace, automotive, healthcare (NHS), petrochemical, social housing, defence, utilities, and facilities management. Named enterprise and public-sector customers include Wolseley, Rexel, Mitsubishi, Glenair, Babcock, Phillips, Wessex Water, Arco, Fortem, Sanctuary, QA Hospital Portsmouth, and NHS trusts. Revenue is generated through three streams: hardware sales (vending machines, sensors, asset tags), recurring SaaS subscriptions (Sourcerer platform and app solutions), and integrated managed solutions, all delivered on a quote-based enterprise pricing model with multi-year contracts.
Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales — including site surveys and demonstrations — with strategic distribution partnerships with multi-billion dollar global distributors who place Inventor-e vending machines inside client sites. The company operates from 11-50 employees, holds patents in digital inventory management, markets itself as a global leader in intelligent inventory management, and has expanded into the United States beyond its UK/European base. In September 2023 it received a non-dilutive grant from the Innovate UK Global Incubator Program.
Inventor-e firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Inventor-e
- Legal name
- Inventor-e
- Website
- https://inventor-e.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Inventor-e (iNVENTORe) is a UK-based intelligent inventory management provider founded in 2001, combining patented IoT hardware (vending machines, weight-sensor bins, NFC/BLE asset tags) with its Sourcerer cloud platform to deliver real-time stock visibility and automated reordering for manufacturers, distributors, facilities managers, and van fleet operators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Inventor-e industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Inventory Management Software
- NAICS
- Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423840), Computer and Computer Peripheral Equipment and Software Merchant Wholesalers (423430), Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (33411)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670), Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software (5045)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Supply Chain & Warehouse Automation (Smart Logistics) (IMAIAMAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Automated / Robotics-Enabled Fulfillment Centers (AS/RS, AMRs, Goods-to-Person) (TLALADAL), Order Management & Inventory Orchestration (OMS) (CRAFAMAC)
Keywords
Where Inventor-e is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Solihull
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Inventor-e business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Hardware Solutions: Sale of industrial vending machines (iVendSecure, iVendLocker, iVendScale+), IoT sensors (iBinScale), asset tracking devices (Smartie), and mobile replenishment systems. Hardware can be integrated through the software platform, allowing customers to scale at their own pace.
- Software/SaaS Subscriptions: Sourcerer cloud-based inventory management platform providing real-time visibility, automated reordering, and analytics. Software integrates all hardware solutions and provides global visibility of inventory across all sites.
- Integrated Solutions: Combined hardware and software solutions for enterprise customers, with tailored implementations for specific industry verticals including manufacturing, healthcare, petrochemical, and social housing sectors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise Solutions - Custom pricing based on scope and scale |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Inventor-e product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Inventor-e develops and sells an intelligent inventory management platform combining cloud-based Sourcerer software with IoT-enabled hardware such as industrial vending machines, weight-sensor bins, and BLE/NFC asset tracking tags. The integrated system delivers real-time stock visibility, automated replenishment, ERP/MRP integration, and audit trails for enterprise customers in manufacturing, distribution, facilities management, and van fleet operations.
Product overview
iNVENTORe (Inventor-e) is a global leader in intelligent inventory management solutions, founded in 2001 by CEO Dean Henry. The offering consists of a unified platform architecture centered on the Sourcerer cloud-based software platform, which serves as the central nervous system connecting all hardware solutions. The product portfolio includes hardware solutions (industrial vending machines including iVendSecure, iVendLocker, and iVendScale+; asset tracking with Smartie tags; and IoT weight sensors including iBinScale and TwinBin Live) and complementary software solutions (SmartStores, SmartStores Secure, SmartVan, and iSite). All hardware integrates through the Sourcerer platform, allowing customers to scale from single pieces of hardware to enterprise-wide deployments. The company holds patents for some of the most valuable technology in the Digital Inventory Management sector and uses AI and IoT to connect physical stock to live digital views.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sourcerer: Cloud-based inventory management software platform providing real-time visibility of production consumables and assets.
- SmartStores
- SmartVan
- iBinScale
- TwinBin Live
- Smartie
- iVendSecure
- iSite
Products and services
- Sourcerer Cloud-based inventory management and asset tracking platform providing real-time visibility of production consumables and assets across operations, integrating with existing manufacturing processes and MRP/ERP systems.
- SmartStores Enterprise-level storeroom management solution providing real-time enterprise-wide visibility and control over materials in a storeroom environment.
- SmartStores Secure App-accessed cabinet used as a secure unmanned stores management solution for expensive items, ideal for unmanned stores and distributed satellite stores across industrial sites or hospitals.
- SmartVan App-based van stock inventory management solution with NFC tags and barcodes that increases first-time fix capability and enables costing of jobs at the point of use.
- iSite Intelligent area/site environment through connected tiles and Smartie tags enabling authentication, location, and identification of employees and assets throughout sites.
- iVendSecure Secure industrial vending solution providing 24/7 point-of-use availability for specified users with capacity up to 936 individual products in a secure carousel format, with job number enabled and full batch traceability.
- iVendLocker Locker-based industrial vending solution that speeds up the distribution of inventory and assets, eliminating significant levels of downtime.
- iVendScale+ Scale-based inventory management vending system providing secure access and dispensing of products, logging inventory data collected via scales as products are dispensed.
- Smartie Patented asset tag combining NFC and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology for tracking and managing assets and tools, readable up to 80 metres via Bluetooth with temperature measurement capability and up to 5 years battery life.
- TwinBin Live Automated inventory replenishment solution using Smartie BLE technology that provides real-time stock information and automatically reorders inventory when bins are empty, with FIFO batch control.
- iBinScale Battery-powered IoT weight sensor device providing no-touch inventory reordering, monitoring physical quantity of stock in bins using advanced weight sensor technology with 5+ years battery life and +/- 10g accuracy.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30% reduction in inventory carrying costs
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Inventor-e
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Inventor-e technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Inventor-e partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Multi-billion Dollar DistributorscoreStrategic distributor partnerships form a core part of the business model. Distributors place vending machines inside client sites, enabling automated ordering and strengthening their position as go-to suppliers. The company supports distributors with scalability and reduced cost to serve.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Inventor-e competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CribMaster: CribMaster (part of MSC Industrial) sells industrial vending machines, tool crib management, and point-of-use inventory solutions. It is the most direct competitor to Inventor-e's iVendSecure and SmartStores product lines in the manufacturing and MRO vending space.
- AutoCrib: AutoCrib provides industrial vending machines, lockers, and asset management solutions for tool rooms and MRO stockrooms, directly competing with Inventor-e's iVendSecure, iVendLocker, and iVendScale+ offerings in North American and global enterprise accounts.
- Lista International: Lista International manufactures industrial storage, workstations, and tool/parts cabinets used in industrial inventory management, overlapping with Inventor-e's SmartStores Secure, iVendLocker, and storeroom-management offerings.
- Apex Industrial Solutions: Apex Industrial Solutions is a UK-based provider of vending, tool control, and inventory management solutions, directly competing with Inventor-e in the same geography and customer verticals including manufacturing, aerospace, and automotive.
- SupplyPoint Systems: SupplyPoint offers intelligent industrial vending, locker, and storage solutions integrated with cloud inventory software, very similar to Inventor-e's combined vending + Sourcerer platform approach for manufacturers and distributors.
Emerging players
- TrackAbout: TrackAbout provides asset tracking and management software with mobile and RFID/BLE capabilities. It overlaps with Inventor-e's Smartie asset tags and Sourcerer visibility layers, focused on equipment and asset-intensive operations.
- Asset Panda: Asset Panda offers cloud-based asset tracking and inventory software with mobile apps. It competes at the asset-tracking/software layer with Inventor-e's Sourcerer platform, but lacks Inventor-e's industrial vending and IoT sensor hardware.
Broad incumbents
- SAP (Inventory / EWM modules): SAP's enterprise inventory and extended warehouse management modules offer broad inventory orchestration, competing with Inventor-e's Sourcerer platform at the software layer, though without Inventor-e's specialized IoT/vending hardware stack.
- Stanley Industrial (Stanley Black & Decker): Stanley Industrial is a broad incumbent offering tool control, asset tracking, and industrial storage as part of a much larger tools and engineered fastening portfolio, providing overlapping but non-specialized capabilities to Inventor-e's target customers.
- Honeywell Intelligrated: Honeywell Intelligrated provides warehouse automation, AS/RS, and broader supply-chain software/hardware solutions. It is a large incumbent that competes with Inventor-e at the high end of automated inventory and warehousing solutions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Inventor-e social profiles
Digital presenceInventor-e financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Inventor-e leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Inventor-e funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Inventor-e M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Inventor-e
What does Inventor-e do?
Inventor-e develops and sells an intelligent inventory management platform combining cloud-based Sourcerer software with IoT-enabled hardware such as industrial vending machines, weight-sensor bins, and BLE/NFC asset tracking tags. The integrated system delivers real-time stock visibility, automated replenishment, ERP/MRP integration, and audit trails for enterprise customers in manufacturing, distribution, facilities management, and van fleet operations.
Is Inventor-e a public or private company?
Inventor-e is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Inventor-e founded?
Inventor-e was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Inventor-e based?
Inventor-e is headquartered in Solihull, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Inventor-e make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Solutions are the primary driver. The others are software/SaaS Subscriptions and integrated Solutions.
Who are Inventor-e's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CribMaster, AutoCrib, Lista International, Apex Industrial Solutions and SupplyPoint Systems. Emerging players are TrackAbout and Asset Panda. Broad incumbents are SAP (Inventory / EWM modules), Stanley Industrial (Stanley Black & Decker) and Honeywell Intelligrated.
Does Inventor-e have an API?
No public API is recorded for Inventor-e.
What industry is Inventor-e in?
Inventor-e's product category is Inventory Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAIAMAJ, Supply Chain & Warehouse Automation (Smart Logistics), with a secondary code of TLALADAL, Automated / Robotics-Enabled Fulfillment Centers (AS/RS, AMRs, Goods-to-Person). Its NAICS code is 423840 and its SIC code is 5084.