Mobile solution in the warehouse

Monday, 7.00 a.m. At a warehouse of a well-known producer of manufactured metal goods the unloading of a steel components delivery for production is starting. Is it enough to scan the bar codes, move the goods to the storage area and position them in right aisles, then check the ordered and delivered amounts? It’s never been easier, right? But wait a moment, and thanks to a mobile device we are connected with the system and we can transfer the delivered goods’ data and confirm the delivery.

How to limit the amount of documentation and save time thanks to one application?

Because time is money

Had it not been for the mobile devices, unloading the delivery of components would take considerably longer, increasing work time cost and the risk of mistakes. Upon counting the goods and noting the amounts at the destination point, it would be advisable to go to a PC and enter those items of information in the system, including the location of goods in the warehouse, etc. The time-consuming nature and poor quality of the gathered data made the once omnipresent system of manual entering of deliveries, relocations in the warehouse, internal and external releases to be consigned to the dark recesses of history, giving way to the advanced technologies of mobile devices. Companies with a high warehouse capacity which rely on efficacy, precision and the quick execution of operations cannot allow for the lack of proper solution; mobile solutions are that answer.

One of the most common activities in a warehouse is accepting a delivery and comparing it with the order. Using mobile solutions we have the possibility to refer to a particular order in the IT system, directly from a mobile device, away from the PC workstation.

Execution of an operation

Such an operation using a mobile device is executed as follows: at the moment of delivery the warehouse operative scans the order number placed on the delivery note. The mobile application shows the order and the warehouse employee can verify the order, scan the bar codes of the delivered goods and confirm the delivery in the mobile application. Confirming the completion of the order, the warehouse attendant registers the relocation of the materials from the delivery zone to the particular location in the warehouse, with the amount, type, content and place of storage included. Even though access to an integrated IT system is not available, the data from the mobile application is automatically sent, after the confirmation of the operation. This is completed quickly and efficiently, without any unnecessary saving, checking, and copying of data to the system.

The whole logistics system benefits from it

The mobile solutions allow for the electronic registration of warehouse operations, at the point of their execution. What’s more, the information regarding those operations can be easily sent to the system wirelessly, at any time. The basic advantage of using this system by the warehouse employees is the time saved resulting from precise information about the storage location. Another, and far more crucial for the people using the gathered data, is the minimisation of potential errors. For instance, it is vital to the production department which requires reliable and up-to-date information on the amount of raw materials in the warehouse.

Adopting mobile devices is a one-of-a-kind investment. Its main aim: to achieve returns. When we talk about the use of mobile solutions in a warehouse, the benefits from using them are observed not only by the warehouse operatives but also by employees of all other departments related to the execution of logistic processes. Accuracy of that data in the system allows for the optimisation of the purchase of any required materials. Thanks to reliable information on the location of materials, when flawed or defective components are identified, the quality department can locate them smoothly and quickly.

Dariusz Żuryński

a logistics business solutions architect at Hicron, a co-author of Hicron WM Mobile solution for warehouse operations

Bar codes without a warehouse?

There is the notion that bar code technology has only been widely adopted by high-capacity warehouses. Nothing could be further from truth! Applications using bar code systems can be successfully applied by companies which don’t have warehouses!

As Dariusz Żurżyński explains, mobile applications can be used for the registration of operations in warehouses with space management (locations) but also for operations at the storage level, processed by systems for managing the stocks of materials.

Better quality in quality management

Mobile devices can help during the registration process substantially by sending data such as certificate number, cast number, quality number, specific date from the suppliers, etc. automatically. In this way, with just a few clicks in the IT system, we can learn about which components with which certificate numbers have been used to produce which goods.

Express stock checking

Companies with high warehouse capacity can considerably reduce stocktaking times. Thanks to mobile devices the whole process can be carried out in the warehouse, sending the data to the IT system wirelessly.

In many companies the time dedicated to stocktaking generates either opportunity costs connected with the engagement of employees in a time-consuming process of counting and writing down the results of the counts, or the costs resulting from mistakes made during the stocktaking process. In the latter case, carrying out the stock check makes no sense as it makes us rely on erroneous data. The mobile solutions using bar code technologies not only speed up the data collection process but thanks to high reliability and the minimisation of errors taking place, they also make the whole activity worth the hassle.