Warehouse Inventory Counting Time Cut in Half

End user: Montgomery Wire
System: Barcode-based automated warehouse
Benefits: Highly accurate, real-time automated ID system

Overview

Montgomery Wire, a division of Global Wire, manufactures speciality wire for stranded conductors, tinsel conductors and flat wire products, which can be braided together for shielding used in aeroplanes, or used in audio speakers, refrigerators and computers.

Issues: Which Wire is Which?

Wires are manufactured to the customers' specifications, but even to the trained eye it can be difficult to distinguish between them. As a result, Montgomery 's manual tracking system was very time consuming and subject to human error.

Solution: Barcode Recognition

To ensure proper product shipments, Montgomery Wire worked closely with the system solutions integrator, Winco Identification Systems and the RF expert, Compsee. Together they installed a highly accurate inventory tracking system, involving wireless data collection and a barcode tracking equipment.

The new barcode tracking system starts in the quality control department. Once the manufactured wire is approved, an order number is entered into the inventory management system. A reel identification number is then issued and this initiates the printing of two barcode labels in Code 39 symbology on a SATO M 84Pro printer. One tag goes inside the reel, the other on the outside.

"Code 39 was chosen because it can be read by the majority of barcode readers and is required by our customers using barcoding", said Laura Smith, Montgomery's IT Technician. The SATO M 84Pro printer was selected because of its work history at other Montgomery Wire plants. "They are an industrial 'Work Horse' available at a great price and rarely ever need service," remarked Smith.

Once reels are labelled, warehouse staff scan the label, weigh the reel and key enter the weight, location and date into the inventory record. Product type and customer automatically determine the stocking location.

When a reel is to be shipped, a picking ticket tells a forklift driver where to get the reel. Its ID label is scanned, which pulls up the weight on the screen of the hand-held RF terminal. The driver visually verifies the weight and places the reel on a pallet for shipping. The RF system immediately removes the product from inventory. Lastly the shipping labels are printed. Label style depends on the shipper and customer.

Benefits

"RF is very fast; it's real-time. In addition, the highly accurate barcode system eliminated a lot of handwriting. As a result, our inventory is accurate and we're shipping accurate orders to our customers", explained Smith. "Order accuracy not only improved customer services but also cuts down on return costs".

Improvements were also seen with inventory accuracy. Instead of manually writing in each location, workers simply scan the reel's barcoded ID label and barcoded location. "On the third inventory scanning, every item we showed we had in our database, we did have. That means less chance of overrunning shipments". Overall the system cut inventory-tracking times down to a half and the inventory report now takes 45 minutes instead of 4 hours. Saving time on both office and warehouse operations means staff can be put on to higher priority tasks or workloads reduced.

For more information on our M84PRO click here