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Case Study - EquipU

 

The Customer

 

EquipU, formally known as Greater Glasgow Independent Living, supplies vital equipment to assist the physically challenged in the Glasgow area, achieve as normal a life as possible.

 

The Problem

   

Operatives need to register delivery of equipment to the client and ensure the correct product is supplied. Goods are identified by the part number, if it is misread or similar to another on the same delivery list errors can and do occur. They need to reduce errors and make every delivery count. It was also desirable for the drivers to carry just one device, which incorporated, mobile phone, barcode reader, GPS, Camera and mobile computer for the gathering of data.

 

The Challenge

 

Central Peripherals was challenged first to supply the printers and media to bar-code all the equipment in the stores and then find the ideal mobile computing devices for use in the stores and on the delivery vehicles. They had to be robust, easy to use, read bar codes, have GPRS, GPS, built in camera, have sufficient power to last a full shift and have a Windows Mobile operating system    

 

 

The Solution

 

Central Peripherals offered many alternative devices for testing and finally the MC35 from Symbol/Motorola was decided on as the unit that came nearest to providing the best solution. Although these have now been in use, successfully, for several years, it was found using the Camera/Wedge programme on the MC35 was difficult and the users tended to key in the serial numbers instead of reading the barcode, resulting in errors. When Motorola launched the MC55, EquipU made the decision to trial it and as a result have decided to move to this unit. The MC55 has all the features of the MC35 but with the additional benefit of a separate bar code scanner and camera therefore overcoming their main operational inconvenience. The MC55 is also a more robust unit which makes it more suitable for the mobile workforce.

 

The Benefits

 

The MC55 is more robust than the MC35 and is easier to use making it unnecessary to enter data manually, therefore improving efficiency. Clients are better served and complaints are fewer. Unnecessary repeat journeys are eliminated, fuel consumption is reduced and time freed for other calls. The durability of the MC55 combined with the efficiencies gained quickly result in a great Return on the Investment and reduced Total Cost of Ownership.


 

 

How Does System Work?

 

All stock is identified by a bar-coded label which is printed using either Datamax I-Class or M Class printer or the Zebra QL mobile printer. In the stores the PDT8846 WiFi terminals are used for checking or picking stock for despatch. The MC35 and MC55 devices are used by the drivers to register the delivery of goods to the customer; this information can be fed back to base using GPRS. The MC35/MC55 can also be used for locating delivery addresses using its GPS system. The GSM facility on the device allows the driver to communicate with base verbally which means that they only need to carry one device.

 

The Future

 

Central Peripherals will continue to work closely with EquipU to ensure that the hardware they are using is always the best solution for their needs.

 

Solution Components

 

 

Case Study: Benkert (UK) Ltd

 

The Customer

 

Based in Clackmannanshire, Benkert (UK) Ltd is a leading producer of tipping paper to a global marketplace.

 

The Challenge

 

"Previously Benkert (UK) Ltd operated a manual system for recording pallet loading. This system was prone to error and these errors could be very expensive".

 

On average 3000 paper bobbins are shipped every week, staff loading these bobbins onto pallets would manually record the order, pallet and bobbin numbers. Central Peripherals were tasked with finding a way of unobtrusively bar-coding each bobbin and automatically recording the loading of each bobbin to a pallet.

 

The Solution

 

A short pilot project was started to investigate the best way of attaching and then scanning a barcode on each bobbin. Using many years of experience in the data capture industry, Central Peripherals custom built a complete solution combining the best and most suitable hardware from a number of manufacturers with bespoke software.

 

The Benefits

 

"The introduction of the bar-code system eliminated most of the risk of error and generally improved efficiency. The difference was a case of night and day!" Benkert (UK) Ltd felt there was no need to try and calculate a ROI (return on investment) as "it is obvious to us that the system has produced considerable benefits".

 

The Future

 

Having seen the benefits a bar-coding system can bring, Central Peripherals have continued to work with Benkert and with the aid of a Symbol wireless network and MC9090G & MC3190 mobile computers, Handheld Products 5620 scanners and Zebra printers "we have further developed the system to include links to our QC (quality control) system and a stock management system - both of these considerably improving efficiency".

 

And, says Neil Sharpe, Financial Director of Benkert (UK) Ltd, it doesn't stop there, "The system will continue to be refined as further opportunities to improve efficiency are identified".

The system was first installed in 2002 and has been evolving ever since.

 

Case Study: Weslo Housing Management

 

The Customer

 

Weslo Housing Management is a social housing landlord, maintaining a stock of over 2000 properties in West Lothian. Central Peripherals were approached to provide a stock inventory system for the stores area to record the movement of materials used in housing repairs.

 

The Challenge

 

As Douglas Drummond, Financial Services Director at Weslo Housing Management, explains:  

 

 

"Prior to the introduction of the bar-coding system there was no on going recording of stock balances or items out on vans with individual tradesmen. The twice yearly physical stock take was the only time all parts and components were counted and prices checked for valuation and discrepancies. Re-order levels were not formally set." The challenge was to automate these manual processes to provide real-time stock information electronically.

 

The Solution

 

The solution uses Symbol mobile computers to communicate via a Symbol wireless network to a central database meaning stock movements can be recorded in real time. Central Peripherals Warehouse Organiser software was modified to Weslo's specific requirements. Workers now use mobile computers to record the stock they transfer to and from their vans as well as the stock used on jobs. Goods received into stores and returned from them are also recorded electronically. Software reporting facilities allow staff to view stock levels, the value of stock in the store and any items requiring reordering. Stock takes are carried out using the mobile computers and a reconciliation report can be produced to highlight any stock discrepancies

 

The Benefits

 

Douglas explains "It's significantly improved information and control. Balances and values held in the main depot and individual vans are known at any time as well as the amount of materials drawn and used by individual tradesmen. The level of stock holdings for individual tradesmen is agreed and monitored". Having real-time stock information has also meant that "when the physical stock take is carried out, we now have a system generated total as a comparison figure. Individual variances from the system figure are then investigated". Reordering is much less complex as the foreman is automatically advised when reorder levels are reached"

 

When asked what savings a bar-coding system has brought them, Douglas felt that "The introduction of the bar-coding system was more about improving the quality of information and introducing controls and an audit trail for materials from the entry to the stores to allocation."

In 2008 Weslo Housing Management updated their hardware from Symbol PDT8146 units, which had been in use since 1996, to the Symbol/Motorola MC9090.

 

sales@centralp.co.uk