Automated Bagging and Printing Solution Puts Auto Parts Distributor in Cruise Control…
Current dilemma:An auto parts distributor was experiencing problems associated with marking and tracking their finished-goods inventory. They had previously been working off of a “bin” system where product was identified by the bin in which it was located. The problem with this system was that many of the items had several components that were being lost and/or misplaced. Items were also being placed in the wrong bins and incorrectly identified by the employees placing the inventory in the bin as well as the employees “pulling” the inventory to fulfill orders for customers. The distributor’s customers were also asking for each item to be labeled with a barcode identifier for their own product tracking and inventory process.
Action Steps:
The distributor turned to Direct Solutions for a better system. Direct Solutions suggested two semi-automatic bagging machines with integrated printers and barcode verifiers. We integrated the system into their network so the customer could use existing inventory databases (part numbers, descriptions, etc.) to print identification information and barcodes directly onto the bag and insert parts on demand. The customer can use several different bag sizes on the same machine with little changeover time required making short and long batch runs practical and efficient.
Result:
Items with several components are now contained in one package and employees placing the items into inventory bins are able to match the barcode and description information on the bag to the bin label for accurate placement. Order pullers verify the parts in the same manner on the way out and incorporate scanners to provide “live-time” inventory tracking.
The system met all of the customer’s criteria:
- flexibility for short/long production runs,
- increased throughput,
- integration with their network,
- barcoding each item,
- and product containment.