Bar code scanning, data entry technologies, and digital scale interfaces are combining to move inventory directly into ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, allowing companies to track stock and shipment movement in real time.
Automated data collection adds both speed and accuracy to warehouse activities. Weight is one area where manual data entry is still popular, but companies are offering systems that capture pallet weights for quick computer transfer. Even before a full ERP system integration is planned, accurate weights can save on shipping and inventory costs and speed processing.
For automated shipment data gathering, a good place to start is with a digital weight logging system, such as that offered as an accessory with a pallet scale from FloorScalesDirect.com. Weight data can be saved on disk, merged into spreadsheet reports, or transferred to company databases and ERP systems without transposed digits and other errors.
Further technologies can include handheld scanners, stationary bar code scanners or even RFID (radio frequency ID, small electronic chips) tracking systems, automated pallet transport and integration of shipping and tracking systems. Step-by-step use of technologies adds accuracy and savings in a way that works with minimal training and change in the short term, and growing benefits in the long term for a company looking forward to future growth and efficiency.
