Barcode labels have been in use for many years in shipping and manifesting systems, but many warehouses still don’t fully use this technology. Barcode printersshould be utilized in every warehouse, because barcodes help you reduce costs and increase control of your operation. You can use barcodes in warehouse paperwork (purchase orders, pick tickets, etc.); for individual employee identification to track who did what; on individual products; and on cartons or pallets to identify the contents and track activities. Each warehouse location can have a unique barcode that facilitates inventory moves.
The backbone of any barcode inventory system is the barcode label. In a warehouse, labels are used to identify locations, pallets, individual items, and shipments. At Laney Duke we have applied barcode technology to areas such as receiving, putaway, replenishment, picking & packing, shipping and manifesting, returns, cycle counts, value-add functions and labor tracking.
Among other functions, barcode labels let you track the what, who and when for all warehouse activities within the four walls. As a result, potential savings can occur in the following areas:
- A decrease in clerical costs due to reduced need for manual data-entry functions
- Fewer errors thanks to improved inventory tracking and positive verification of activities
- Increases in overall inventory accuracy
- Ability to track employee performance that can increase productivity
- Improved scheduling of warehouse activities
