Three Benefits to the Wireless Warehouse

Directed Picking. Directed picking utilizes RF devices to prompt warehouse workers to pick items using an optimized picking path that reduces overall time spent during the picking process. Rather than a warehouse worker simply looking at a pick ticket and traveling around the warehouse in a completely random order, the RF device can instruct the worker to pick items on a pick ticket from their associated locations within the warehouse in a logical sequential order that reduces worker transit time from one location within the warehouse to another. This feature can streamline the pick process and reduce average picking time to improve warehouse efficiencies and lead to increased worker productivity and daily shipping volume.

Accurate Data Entry. Using RF and barcode technology can greatly decrease the likelihood of data entry errors in receiving, picking, and shipping. Lot numbers, for example, which can frequently be several characters long, can easily be scanned and recorded in the ERP system via barcodes and scanning devices with little to no manual data entry. Deploying these devices for use in the warehouse for receiving, picking, and shipping can result not only in faster, more efficient data processing but improved data integrity and product tracking as well.

Faster Physical Inventory and Cycle Counts. A common process many distributors deploy for physical inventory and cycle counts is to have a warehouse worker walk throughout the warehouse with a clipboard and piece of paper, manually count and record the quantities of each product in the warehouse, walk back to his or her computer, and then manually enter the recorded inventory quantities into the organization’s software system or Excel. This process, needless to say, can lend itself to a number of problems. First, manually counting and recording inventory quantities takes a painful amount of time for people in the warehouse. Secondly, manually counting and recording inventory quantities on paper and then entering those values into the computer increases the likelihood of data entry errors and diminishes the integrity and accuracy of the counted values. By using barcodes and scanning devices in the warehouse, workers can complete their physical inventory and cycle counts in a timely, efficient manner. Furthermore, by scanning items, the recorded quantity of items is directly recorded in the ERP system, eliminating multiple steps to complete the same process while simultaneously improving data accuracy and integrity.