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goods and improves packing accuracy. This not only enables fitness is a key technology in minimising complaints or confusion.
companies to reduce working capital but also delivers a significant Leveraging real-time GSM mobile networks, this information can be
improvement in customer service levels. received in real-time at the back office. Should any problems arise with
the delivery – whether error or a customer change of
mind – the organisation can immediately schedule a
replacement delivery or authorised return.
This immediate response drives up customer service,
whilst immediate rescheduling often saves days in the
delivery of a replacement item, again improving the
customer relationship.
Extended wireless benefits
Tight integration between wireless barcode systems
and ERP also provides organisations with unprecedented
insight into the performance of warehouse operations. In
any manual operation, it is far too expensive to capture
operational information, since it requires time-
consuming form-filling and manual collation of
information. Once the barcoding system is up and
running, organisations are automatically capturing
performance data.
Combining this information with Business Intelligence
The perception that the technology is complicated to set up and
tools, organisations can quickly assess the performance of different
deploy is a myth. This is highly mature wireless technology – modern
teams, shifts, even individuals, as well as performance across
ERP systems can interoperate reliably with any of the scanning guns
different product groups. This transparency enables organisations to
on the market and handle more than one barcoding system if
drive significant procedural improvements across the warehouse.
required.
Taking wireless technology a step further, companies can look to
Of course, the need for multiple barcoding systems has been a
voice picking and packing systems to yield additional gains. This
barrier to adoption for some organisations. The SME typically has little
technology is particularly useful in tough environments where
sway in the supply chain and may be called upon to adopt both the operators require heavy-duty gloves or require both hands to lift
barcoding systems of supplier and customer, creating an products, constraining the use of handheld technology. A nice
uncomfortable central position. The solution will vary from capability of these wireless technologies is that they can be
industry to industry. In some cases it will be possible to adopt supplier deployed with support for multi-lingual instructions.
barcodes and simply pass these on through the supply chain,
making the process extremely
simple. In others, with multiple
suppliers, the distributor will have
to manage different
“The perception that the technology
numbering schemes alongside
its own barcode labelling.
iscomplicated to set up and
In practice, such systems,
whilst needing thought and
deploy is a myth.”
evaluation, are simple to
manage. Irrespective of the
barcoding scheme adoption, the
Wireless success
key is to ensure the ERP system can handle multiple schemes and
formats.
The adoption of simple wireless technologies such as barcode
Once in place, there are huge opportunities to add value for
scanning provides a platform for significant operational
customers, such as pre-labelling products at the warehouse with the
improvement. Critically, not only is there international backing for
retail price as well as barcodes, enabling the downstream retailer to
simple barcode standards, avoiding the problems inherent with RFID,
streamline its own stock management processes.
but these wireless technologies, from Wi-Fi devices around the
warehouse and out in the field via the GSM mobile network, are
Supply chain benefits
well proven.
Once warehouse automation is in place, organisations can leverage
Furthermore, with the upfront investment coming in at around
the barcoding system to drive improvements through the supply chain
£2,000 per user, most organisations are attaining a return on
to the point of delivery. Providing delivery drivers with mobile
investment within 18 months. This is a low-cost, low-risk investment
handheld devices enables real-time goods tracking, whilst photographic
available today and based on robust, proven wireless technology
evidence or signatures can be captured in the field to show proof of
that delivers quantifiable benefits in reduced costs, improved
delivery.
productivity and enhanced customer service.
This proof of delivery is vital for many distribution organisations. The
So why waste time and money waiting for the RFID hype to be
ability to capture signatures and photograph the goods in situ to prove realised?
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