Operate with 99.9% accuracy: Track your warehouse inventory with barcodes and AI stock-scanning robots

Effective inventory management is crucial for a successful warehouse operation. Traditional methods, which often rely on manual tracking, can be time-consuming and error-prone, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.

Fortunately, advancements in technology have introduced more efficient solutions, such as barcode tracking. By leveraging barcodes, warehouses can significantly enhance their inventory management processes, ensuring accuracy and improving overall efficiency.

When combined with robotics, the benefits multiply, transforming how inventory is managed.

The data behind the barcodes

Barcodes offer numerous benefits over manual methods; this system not only simplifies tracking but also ensures data accuracy.

Implementing a barcode inventory system involves generating unique codes for each product, scanning them at various stages of the supply chain and integrating them into the Warehouse Management System (WMS). The richness of data associated with barcodes is what truly enhances inventory management.

Each barcode can hold a wealth of information such as:

• SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)

• Client and Supplier details

• Expiry date

• Received date

• LOT and Batch numbers

• Part number and Product code

• Airway bill number

• Quantity

This comprehensive data set allows for precise tracking and management of inventory, ensuring that every item is accounted for accurately.

Tracking barcodes with robotics

To further enhance inventory management, warehouses can now employ stock scanning robots. Automated solutions such as DexoryView offer autonomous robots which operate 24/7, scanning over 10,000 locations per hour and covering large warehouse areas with ease. The benefits are substantial:

1. Automated data collection: This automation leads to faster data collection and real-time updates. Robots automate the process of scanning barcodes, minimising the need for human intervention in repetitive and tedious tasks. Warehouse staff can shift their focus to more strategic and high-value tasks.

2. Safety and efficiency: Autonomous robots improve workplace safety by taking over potentially hazardous tasks. They efficiently track inventory, capture asset data, and monitor environmental conditions within the warehouse.

3. Integration with WMS: DexoryView seamlessly integrates with your Warehouse Management System, providing a cohesive and streamlined approach to inventory management. This integration ensures that all data is accurately reflected in the WMS, facilitating better decision-making.

4. High accuracy and real-time updates: Robots and DexoryView offer high accuracy levels in inventory tracking. They utilise digital twin technology to create virtual replicas of the warehouse, enhancing analytics and forecasting capabilities. This leads to more accurate inventory levels and better demand planning.

Explore how these solutions work in your warehouse

Practical implementation: What it looks like

Let’s walk through a real-world example to see how barcode tracking and robotics transform warehouse operations. Imagine a client decides to implement a daily scan of their inventory, perhaps during the night when warehouse activity is minimal. Here’s how the process unfolds in practice:

1. Deployment phase: During the initial setup, our team collaborates with the client to determine the specific data requirements. This involves discussing which attributes are critical for their inventory management and ensuring that the Warehouse Management System (WMS) is configured to send these attributes.

The data to be captured typically includes: SKU, client and supplier details, received date, expiry date, LOT, quantity, product code,...

2. Data integration: Once the data requirements are established, we format the entries based on the client's needs. For instance, if the WMS exports data in a CSV file, this file is then fed into DexoryView, our advanced inventory management platform. DexoryView processes this data and provides detailed insights, including identifying discrepancies and highlighting areas needing attention.

3. Enhanced data accuracy: Traditional WMS data can sometimes be inaccurate or fragmented. By integrating scan data with the supplementary WMS-originated information, DexoryView enhances data accuracy. This integration helps identify and correct discrepancies in real time, providing a more reliable inventory overview.

4. Consolidated information: Often, item information is spread across different sections of the WMS or other platforms, making it challenging to get a comprehensive view. DexoryView consolidates all relevant information into a single interface, simplifying analysis and decision-making.

5. Customised reports: Previously, creating detailed inventory reports required manual effort in spreadsheets, which could be time-consuming and prone to errors. With DexoryView, you can generate rich, customised inventory reports directly within the platform. This feature allows for real-time reporting and more effective inventory management, eliminating the need for tedious spreadsheet work.

Conclusion

The combination of barcode tracking and robotics presents a powerful solution for your inventory management. Barcodes provide a rich data set that enhances accuracy and efficiency, while autonomous robots ensure continuous, real-time data collection and monitoring. Together, these technologies transform inventory management, making it more efficient, accurate, and safe.

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