Issue 255 - Bar code #4,"like eating sliced white bread for the first time"

In the previous newsletter Bernell Martin of John F. Martin Meats mentioned the most important factor to RF warehouse automation is to have a high percentage of good readable bar codes. In addition Bernell mentioned his first step in the process was stationary scanning and weighing. Although Bernell eventually outgrew that solution, it was great cost saving step up from manual pick. Earlier this month I spoke with Ray Baldelli on the stationary scanning topic and his interview gives us a real life example of the benefits of that solution, it was, as he put it, "like eating sliced white bread for the first time".

#1 Tip from the Pros: Take Manageable Steps.

We talked about this idea in general when we asked if you were "working with the wrong dumbbells" in Issue 196.

"..most successful businesses follow the S.M.A.R.T ("SMART") methodology. This handy acronym helps simplify the process of goal setting and ensures that objectives are defined in the most effective manner possible. When following the SMART process, all goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-limited."

Bernell and Ray both focused on setting Achievable and Realistic goals for bar-code automation. They understood that you can not easily go from a "disorganized" warehouse to a fully functional bar-coding solution in one giant leap. One of the pieces of advice that we see coming from successful business people over and over again is to work on improving your business in small steps, gaining the benefit from each improvement immediately rather than making a big jump and having to "float" the effort (and the cost) until you land (and hope you stick the landing). Going to the solution Ray uses is a great next step for manual picking Organizations.

#2 Tip from the Pros: Have 85% or More of Your Product Bar-Coded.

Bar Code Labels In both conversations one of the main points was that you need to get your warehouse processes and labeling in order before you implement a bar-code solution. The ear-mark of an organized warehouse ready for bar-coding is 85% labeled and ready to read products and a work flow that supports catch weight capture. Also remember you should already have automated your order entry and invoicing so your work flow is built around computer generated pick-tickets and invoices.

When we opened this topic in Issue 252 we mentioned that one of our customers recently took steps to label is own product. To the right we have a sample of the bar code format he will be using. You'll notice the pick and slot put-away locations are located just above the bar-code with the item ID below. This is a great way to boost your bar-code percentage to an acceptable number for automation and to help your warehouse by labeling product with put-away locations.

Paul H-C's First Video - An Interview with Ray Baldelli:

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Ray Baldelli of RJ Deli about his experiences with FoodConnex SWAMI a food distribution and processing software package that provides automated bar code scanning. If you didn't have an opportunity to review the video in it's official release yesterday I invite you to take a moment and click the link to watch the video.

I feel that videos of this sort will provide a great opportunity to present some of the visual and audio content that we've had challenges in the past presenting to you so I hope you enjoy it.