Sandpiper Corporation :: Systems Integration of Wireless, Auto ID and Mobile Computing Techologies

Newsletter

Issue 27, November 2008

Sandpiper Help’s Geographer’s A-Z Maps Reduce Customer Claims by 83% With New Mobile Warehouse Solution.

Geographers’ A-Z Maps publishes more than 350 titles covering street maps and atlases in printed and electronic media format. A range of Pocket A-Z maps covering many towns and cities throughout Great Britain and designed to run on Pocket PC's, PDA’s, Windows PC’s, GIS applications, Smartphones and mobile phones. Its comprehensive range is distributed throughout the UK via its field sales operation to over 15,000 customers and directly from its warehouse to online customers and retailers.

During 2004, Sandpiper helped A-Z implement a mobile solution which computerised the order processing system, resulting in orders being processed within an hour rather than up to 5 days. The successful implementation of this project resulted in Sandpiper being selected to provide a complete mobile solution for the warehouse and stock control processes.

Due to the introduction of consolidated computerised orders by one of its large high street retailers, A-Z was keen to automate its warehouse processes to reflect these changes and to reduce the inherent delays and picking errors associated with paper based processes.

All of the retailer’s regional orders are now consolidated and sent direct to A-Z head office for single dispatch back to the head office for onward distribution. The immediate benefit of this process has resulted in A-Z’s direct sales force being freed up from their branch visits, allowing them to concentrate on new business opportunities.

In the past, processed orders were printed off and sent down to the warehouse for picking and dispatch. Each order was handled manually and ticked off once boxed. This resulted in the picker having to work his way round the warehouse in no particular order wasting valuable time.

Due to specific customer needs, A-Z required a software solution that was bespoke to them. User consideration was also paramount. Working closely with the IT, operations and warehouse staff, Sandpiper designed the solution’s functionality to mirror the manual processes. Sandpiper’s chosen application development suite facilitates support for complex batch, wireless, scanning imaging, RFID, voice recognition and more. The suite supports cross manufacturers mobile computing devices, backwards and forwards migration as new technologies emerge onto the market that significantly reduces the IT administration sometimes encountered with raw code development of applications.

During the development phase, the development suite catered for several changes with ease to accommodate new requirements that came to light during the project. Remote access allowed Sandpiper’s technical team to make these changes and download directly to the application server ensuring the project kept on schedule and within budget.

“We required a solution which would allow us to modify on an on going basis to reflect new procedures and processes” stated Tim Heathfield, A-Z’s Production Manager. “Since going live, the system has highlighted many benefits and will allow us to roll out with other large customers in the future. Order processing time has also further reduced from the initial project; down from 1 hour to 10 minutes, which has resulted in freeing up office staff to deal with customer queries quicker, resulting in better customer service”, continued Tim.

Upon receipt of each order, the new mobile solution allows it to be quickly electronically cross checked against current stock levels, providing an immediate list for the customer of which items are out of stock or no longer in print allowing them to amend their daily order. The order is then organised into a sequence which matches the layout of the warehouse and downloaded to the portable computer via a real-time wireless LAN connection.

Using the Motorola MC9090G hand held terminal, equipped with advanced data capture options and integrated wireless LAN/PAN plus a comfortable ergonomic pistol grip to enable real-time data collection in scan-intensive environments, the picker signs on each morning to a list of jobs that need completing that day. If the order is substantial, the system will break it down and divide it up between a number of pickers. This allows the order to be picked and shipped quicker as each picker is only responsible for picking their individual order and packaging it for dispatch. The mobile solution has reduced customer discrepancy claims by 83% resulting in a substantial reduction in operating costs.

Since the successful implementation of the project, improved management information, as a by-product of the mobile solution, has provided A-Z with verifiable statistics enabling it to analysis the warehouse layout and reorganise their stock which has resulted in a reduction in external warehousing, resulting in further cost reductions. The system is also being used for stock control which has significantly reduced paperwork, man hours and improved stock accuracy.

A-Z is looking to expand the current solution across its customer base over the next year and is confident that the current ‘tailored’ mobile solution will be an excellent platform for meeting future demands and changes.

“We are extremely happy with the new bespoke solution, it was delivered within our original budget and with a professional level of service that Sandpiper delivered” stated Tim.

Steve Kemball, Business Development Manager from Sandpiper believes that the implementation of mobile computing solutions, tailored for the exact needs of the customer and developed within a scaleable development suite environment, provides extremely cost-effective automation of warehouse and distribution operations. The business benefits cover direct and indirect cost reductions by eliminating duplication of effort, manual data entry tasks, real-time information transfer and resultant management information that can be analysed to assess against bench-marking criteria.

Psion Teklogix Unveils NEO their new Handheld Computer

Light Industrial and Retail Mobile Computing Markets

NEO is a rugged, flexible, ergonomic, entry level handheld computer that meets the demands of light industrial, retail, or supply chain logistics operations. Performance and durability are packaged in a superior ergonomic design that features an innovative tilted display with the right balance of styling and comfort for extended hours of use. With its unique expansion options, NEO provides maximum investment protection allowing you to meet your current and evolving application needs.

Typical Applications include:

Front Store Retail: Mobile stock checking, price checking, merchandising
Light Duty Warehousing: Inventory tracking, stocking, back-dock shipping and receiving
Utilities: Meter reading, surveying, parking enforcement, asset tracking
Courier/Parcel Delivery
Ticket Verification: theatre and sporting events

White Paper:- Wireless Technologies for Intermodal Operations

The Future is Converging

The world of global supply chains is expanding, with companies in the US, Europe and elsewhere increasingly outsourcing their manufacturing capabilities overseas. This physical separation of the point of manufacture from the point of consumption is increasing the movement of goods around the globe, mostly by ship. The result is that supply chains are becoming more complex networks, and global supply chain management is becoming an important issue for many businesses.

Today’s port environment has changed significantly in the last three decades. It is no longer a matter of merely moving containers off ships and onto another mode of transportation. Today’s supply networks are highly complex. Retailers and consignees of freight are looking at them as complete networks where the intervening lengths may be changed to serve their particular cost and delivery needs.

At the same time, a number of new container terminals are being developed, many of which are implementing new technologies such as automation that are challenging existing operations. Even these are faced with the need to expand and increase capacity. Terminal operators increasingly need to find value-added services beyond the mere movement of cargo. Consignees and port ecosystem partners need access to a wide variety of data that encompasses much more than just the movement of goods. They need to know the health of those containers, change of custody items, scheduling of container yard resources for dockside maintenance and servicing of ships, and scheduling of resources. At the same time, security and customs procedures are becoming an increasing factor in port operations and data capture – and all must be implemented without negatively impacting speed of operation. Environmental issues and local community issues are also placing constraints on operations.

The specific challenges faced by any particular operation vary greatly depending on geography, politics, economics, etc. The main challenges facing ports worldwide are more cargo, ships, agility, security and visibility, and less space, time, energy, environmental impact and complexity.

All these factors are leading to an increasing need for information beyond the identification and movement of containers. This includes information about container movement, resource scheduling, and the current real-time state of port operations. Such real-time information needs to be secure; flexible to changing bandwidth requirements; and should take into consideration whether information is data, voice or video. In addition, it needs to be based on information technologies and network technologies that are widely supportable and based on standard IP protocols that allow all these systems to converge.

For a copy of the complete white paper - email info@sandpiper-corp.co.uk

LXE Introduces Compact VX3X Vehicle Mount Computer

The VGA, Windows® CE.NET driven VX3X vehicle mounted computer is a smaller, more economical vehicle mounted computer, perfect for use on smaller warehouse vehicles like pallet jacks, walkies, pickers, and narrow isle lift trucks -- vehicles with limited space for mounting a computer.

The VX3X vehicle mounted computer is the perfect addition to LXE’s comprehensive line of traditionally sized and powered vehicle mount computers. The unit is smaller than a traditional lift truck mounted computer, but the unit’s 1/2 VGA hi-bright color LCD screen ensures uncompromised readability in any lighting condition. The VX3X computer simplifies the data entry process by providing operators with the option of inputting data via a touch screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, or an attachable scanner.

The VX3X computer includes LXE’s legendary toughness -- specialized plastics that absorb impacts; solid state, industrialized electronics that resist shock and vibration; and a fully ruggedized display and keyboard that can handle the rigors of rugged industrial operations. As is the case with all of LXE’s computers, the VX3X vehicle-mounted computer is “born rugged, not made rugged.”

The VX3X computer includes an IEEE 802.11b & g radio and has a 12-80VDC internal, fully isolated power supply so it can be used on almost every lift truck on the market.

The VX3X vehicle-mounted computer is “voice-ready,” using LXE’s ToughTalk™ voice recognition technology. ToughTalk technology is LXE’s specialized combination of LXE’s trademark ruggedized system design, advanced audio circuitry and noise-canceling techniques, which enable the VX3X vehicle-mounted computer to support today’s industrial-grade voice recognition applications. With the VX3X vehicle-mounted computer, customers can run voice logistics applications and traditional barcode scanning applications on the same unit.

For more information on the VX3X vehicle mounted computer click here

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Sandpiper :: Systems Intergration of Wireless, Auto ID and Mobile Computing Techologies