BAR CODE DATA COLLECTION IGNITES PRODUCTIVITY
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Historically
speaking, cost control has been the typical method of ensuring
a company’s financial success. Today, however, with economic and
governmental pressures mounting, businesses are forced to find
new and innovative ways to battle shrinking profit margins.
One popular method that increases both worker productivity and efficiency incorporates bar code technology into an on-line data collection system. Consisting of either portable or fixed terminal stations, company’s link systems into a network that’s in constant communication with the host computer accepting, editing and processing data records into usable real-time information. Herein lies the tangible value of any information system, accurate information at your fingertips. Here's how a typical manual data collection system works. A user inputs a customer order and generates a pick list of items. Then, employee order pickers go off to the warehouse and record by hand item name, number issued, and number backordered. Items are then re-entered to generate a packing list. But with on-line data collection there is no paper. Instead the system sends orders directly to warehouse terminals, which then automatically direct pickers to the exact location of the goods. Next, the picker keys in the appropriate number and transmits information back to the host. The system handles all back orders and generates necessary shipping documents. No paper ever changes hands and order status' remain available for instant inquiry and update. Offering a D3 data collection solution,
Instant Data Systems, Milwaukee, Wi. utilizes standard industry
bar code equipment together with the database to let businesses
make decisions based on real time information that's both
accurate and relevant. One example is Eaton Corporation, a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based maker of high quality optic lenses or high technology applications. Eaton decided to implement an order tracking system to improve customer service. But as manager John Lombardo describes the optics production department was “like a black hole, we knew when an order started, but it seemed as if we didn't see if again until it went to shipping." Eaton used a manual log that could deal with 700 open orders at any given time. Because parts information was individually recorded at each work center, clerks first would have to review the logs to expedite specific customer orders. This method combined with the plant's multiple shifts made it difficult for managers to communicate and maintain their priorities. It also created numerous opportunities for data entry errors or missed reporting. “It was even feasible for a second order to be filled to satisfy the customer, due to the failure to locate the first order,"said Lombardo. After Lombardo outlined his departmental improvement goals, he decided on bar code data collection to track orders and actual job costs. Although there were many companies offering bar coding software systems, he narrowed his search to ones that would provide "the kind of customer service that I *was giving my customers." The winner was IDS. According to Lombardo, “IDS demonstrated how its user-defined data collection systems fulfilled our initial requirements and they showed us additional features that we would have never thought about until after installation." Prefacing the deal with a money-back guarantee, IDS had a five reader system up and running in 30-days. Today, when Lombardo’s department receives a work order, it’s immediately scanned into the data collection system, alerting the first work center that production may begin. As the order works its way through each center, operators scan order number, operation number and employee number through a template of bar codes. The system immediately edits the scanned information for accuracy, then enters it into the database. Next, the system tracks and records elapsed time for each operation and order, and within an instant, order location, status, and priority information is available to managers through screen inquiries and printed reports. “It's very easy to use and has helped us gain control over something we had little control over in the past," explained Lombardo. “The system can be expanded and modified with zero down time, and we now have a tool that helps us achieve our original goal – customer service." The system allows Eaton to prioritize customer orders instantly, and lets managers coordinate overtime assignments at congested work stations. “Each work center employee gets a list of order priorities and the employee now knows I have the same list," Lombardo said. Since the IDS system worked so well for the optics department, Eaton plans to expand its use into other areas of the plant including fixed assets, inventory, and purchase order receipts. Instant Data Systems’ solutions are
fully compatible with any data collection equipment on the market
today, and can be tailored to fit any user’s needs.
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