Today, Amazon alone has nearly 300 warehouses all over the world. As one of the most valuable and large companies in the world, Amazon may need to hire infinite people or use complicated software systems to manage their countless warehouses. But do you really need such a costly setup?
If you're a small or mid-level enterprise, or even a large one, you may not have the budget to adopt a large software system, or hire so many employees.
But even in the case where you don't operate on a tight budget, you don't need such complicated systems and hundreds of warehouse workers. Because there are affordable smart solutions that can save you from the enormous costs, and using scanner data is one of them.
We're going to explain how you can use scanner data for efficient warehouse operations. But first, let's explain how important it is for your business to have a smart and effective warehouse management system.
Supply chain management is just another name for warehouse operations. The supply chain consists of every transaction and point that a product goes through, from the production to the buyer.
Supply chain management has developed rapidly in the last 10 years, but it's only getting harder to meet the skyrocketing customer expectations. The Q-Commerce (Quick Commerce) that flourished after the global pandemic entered our lives in 2020 and the increasing number of warehouses have also complicated these operations.
Warehouse management is now a competitive element for companies.
Better warehouse management means more customers. More customers mean more sales, more bonuses to employees, better returns, more money, and more efficiency. For this reason, companies naturally try many solutions to improve their warehouse management system.
The solutions companies seek should always be cheaper, more effective, more useful and easier to use for employees. The barcode system will come to mind first for anyone who has done system research before. This is quite true, you can perform flawless warehouse operations with the scanner data system.
How? Let's explain...
Warehouse management is not just about storing, listing and delivering the product to the customer. Many factors such as stock management, crisis management, employee happiness, and reducing the error rate of the workflow are very effective in accelerating warehouse operations.
The scanner data system is right here, quickly coming to the rescue of both manufacturers and suppliers. Compared to complex software systems and hiring dozens of warehouse management specialists, the scanner data system, which is known to be much more convenient, much easier and analysable, is formed by the combination of several components.
Scanner data system can be used in many areas, as well as very effective in warehouse operation management.
The scanner data system works in warehouse processes as follows;
When thin, long and short thick lines come together and are projected onto the computer, this data is encoded to be named for you.
The warehouse worker uses a heavy and often large handheld terminal.
With this handheld terminal, the barcode on the product is read.
The system of the hand terminal detects the algorithm in it by moving its red lights over the barcode and saves the data in its memory.
The data added to this memory is transferred to the computer and turned into a ready-to-use information.
The warehouse worker keeps repeating this process until the handheld terminal is discharged or his arm is no longer able to lift and lower the terminal.
The barcode system generally works so fast, and that's why companies use this technology to improve their warehouse management processes. As a warehouse worker, it is convenient to read the scanner data directly with a handheld terminal, rather than typing in numbers and letters that can be used instead of barcodes one by one and then entering them into a computer.
But isn't there a way to make this process faster, easier, and more practical?
As you may have noticed, this warehouse worker has only one bottleneck in speeding up the process: a heavy and charged handheld terminal.
The scanner data system is developing along with the world.
We explained why companies do not need to hire dozens of warehouse management specialists, and why the scanner data system provides companies with efficiency.
Now, we can describe a more practical way of using a scanner data system. The world is now at the peak of the digitalization era. Globalization, digitalization, Industry 5.0 steps that emerged right after Industry 4.0 are the elephants in the room.
When we think about all this, we can see that technology is now us. We are the technology, the technology is on us, the technology is in our mind and now we have it, on our hands.
Let's remember the warehouse worker. We can empathize with the thought of this employee, who manages the warehouse process with the scanner data system, to mount the hand terminal he uses and thus save time and power. This is possible with wearable technology. Smart gloves, smart jackets, smart helmets, smart factories and streets. All of these were actually invented to facilitate not only the warehouse, but also every process in our lives.
Smart gloves work integrated with the barcode system and do everything the handheld terminal does. Smart gloves, which have many types, should be preferred according to warehouse management and needs.
The system of the hand terminal is integrated into the wearable glove and provides a faster and more practical use instead of heavy terminals. This allows the warehouse worker to read the product faster, enter more serial data into the system and accelerate the whole process from the first link of the supply chain.
It also provides a happier warehouse worker, a more efficient warehouse management process and sales operations with a virtually zero error rate. This brings us back to the above-mentioned “better warehouse management, more sales, more bonuses to employees, happier customers…” cycle.
Long story short, the barcode system is a superhero you should use to speed up and improve your warehouse processes. If we call the barcode system Superman, we can call the smart glove supported barcode system integrated with wearable technology, the Justice League!