Friday, 12 May 2017

Why Your Business Needs A Barcode Warehouse Management System Now

By Susan Bailey


Barcodes are widely used in the retail environment to improve the checkout process for customers. That said, most businesses haven't fully embraced the technology. Many potential areas of application remain unexplored in all but the most tech-savvy retail outlets, especially when it comes to the back end of inventory operations. But how could a barcode warehouse management system benefit your own organization?

In most warehouses, you'll find barcode labels on almost all products. And this is something you could take advantage of; using the tags to track and monitor your shipments will ultimately enhance accountability within your supply chain. Furthermore, linking your database to a suitable online portal will allow you to extend your monitoring capabilities right down to the consumer. At the very least, barcodes could help you reduce overheads related to inventory.

Not only is manually keying in data a painfully cumbersome task, but errors are also quite common. And this is the last thing anyone needs in their logistics operations, where items change hands multiple times. With a barcode system, you can significantly reduce the burden for your staff, while also improving accuracy in record keeping.

With barcodes, scanning and registering shipments is made much simpler. Not only does the technology reduce processing time, but product movement across complex supply lines can also be tracked speedily and accurately. This could be a huge time-saver, especially for businesses that deal with large volumes of inventory. Incorporating such an advanced solution in your logistics department will ultimately allow you to focus your resources on other income-generating activities.

While the potential complexity of application may vary, barcodes are largely inexpensive to design and print. Regardless of the purpose or where they're attached, the labels will only cost a few pennies at most. Besides, they'll make it easy to know how much inventory you have in stock, something that substantially affects the taxable income you report to tax authorities. In larger organizations, barcoding systems are usually the cheapest inventory control methods to deploy.

Before implementing the technology, it would be crucial to take a look at your warehouse operations first. This way, you'll be able to identify the kind of features you'd benefit from when acquiring the barcode system. Don't forget to check if your current tools will be compatible to the system you intend to deploy.

The kind of support you'll be getting from your hardware vendor will determine how well you're able to utilize your newly-acquired system. So make sure you ask about this when interviewing different providers, and whether they'll upgrade your tools to keep abreast with upcoming developments. If you're not sure of how to go about the implementation process, you could hire a consultant to make matters easier.

Your warehouse is one of the most critical components of your logistics network. With the right barcoding system, you could practically make it more accurate, efficient and agile. So don't take too much time trying to figure the details out; start looking for a platform that will fit the needs of your distribution center today.




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