With warehouse management software becoming increasingly sophisticated and Windows based handheld computers and PDA’s taking advantage of the latest technology it is no surprise that many businesses are moving away from paper based systems to take advantage of new technologies.

A benefit of using a warehouse management system is to manage stock locations to improve speed and accuracy of picking. A system can decide where a product should be placed based on weight to ensure that heavy products are stored on low levels and frequency of picking to ensure that fast moving items are the closest to despatch.

The latest technology uses rugged handheld computers, such as the Psion Workabout Pro and the Symbol 9000 series, alongside dedicated software, increasing productivity through the use of voice recognition.

Why go wireless?

Incorporating handheld computers into a wireless network allows work to be distributed to warehouse workers in real time, whether in the cross dock, picking or despatch to maximise productivity.

Real time data transmitted between the handheld computers and the warehouse management system ensures that efficiency can be increased through workflow management and issues flagged up to be dealt with quickly and efficiently, improving customer service.

What about RFID?

There is growing interest in RFID tags as an alternative to bar codes, but currently the cost is too expensive for most applications. Due to cost RFID tags are currently used for automatically tracking higher value items and re-usable containers. Examples include pallets and plastic trays used by food manufacturers to supply supermarkets, the RFID tags increase speed and efficiency because a stack of trays can be read in one process.

Provided by Tony Mariani, Managing Director, AM Labels Ltd

For more information on warehouse management please call AM Labels on 01536 414222 or contact us online