Olympus Australia, supplier of personal and medical digital camera’s has upgraded its Mt Waverly medical camera warehouse with a real-time inventory management system.
The system was developed jointly by Peacock Bros . and Olympus using only tried-and-true equipment and software that is a perfect example of a cost effective total barcode labelling and data capture solution.
The end result is an extremely reliable and simple inventory system that tracks barcodes and records all stock in real-time to the main SAP WMS (Warehouse Management System) host.
Previously Olympus was processing all stock movements manually. As orders were placed the warehouse staff had to be located and personally given customer orders as they were received, and the transaction was then manually entered into the computer.
Olympus needed a inventory management system that would not only record the stock movements as they occurred but could also send the order directly to the warehouse staff via a mobile terminal for fulfilment as they were received in the office.
The solution involved wireless barcode scanners, a wireless network and barcode label printers communicating directly with the Olympus SAP WMS already in place. The solution also had to be reliable and produce error-free performance.
Peacock Bros. was contracted to develop and install a solution that would take Olympus from pen and paper to real-time data management and on-demand barcode label printing.
The Peacock Bros. Mobile data division custom integrated symbol’s MC9000 data terminals to communicate directly with the SAP operating system, translating and instantly relaying inventory movements and order information.
The warehouse staff now receive customer stock orders from the MC9000’s display screen and as the orders are processed the status information is instantly relayed back to the WMS eliminating the need for manual communication with the office and warehouse staff.
Barcode labels are printed for the stock being shipped out via direct communication between 4 Intermec PC4 barcode label printers and the host SAP system relaying the required barcode label information to the printer which then prints the barcode labels for the stock as it is prepared for delivery.
The whole solution is error-free, requires little user intervention and is reliable and cost effective. It is an example of an ideal data inventory solution that would suit thousands of companies in Australia.
Olympus Warehouse, the solution is simple to operate and invisible with a massive reduction in the time required in receiving stock and processing of orders. Olympus has great stock visibility and increased the productivity of staff and can provide even order fulfilment turn-around. The main computer monitors orders that have been filled and deliveries that have been received as the event occurs in real-time.
Olympus is impressed with the system that they are also exploring the benefits of incorporating RFID technology to the solution.
The Peacock Bros. Mobile data division has been delivering warehouse data management solutions for Australian companies for many years now and this Olympus installation is an example of how the new barcode labelling and data management equipment can be used in a practical and cost effective solution providing immediate returns and savings in operational overheads.