Hilti’s New Tracking System Saves Time and Increases Accuracy
The Challenge
After considering the use of a bar code system for many years, Hilti finally decided to take the plunge when the company introduced its new business system, SAP. Though there were many reasons for investing in this system, Lasse Liffner, Hilti’s service manager, stated, “the primary reason we wanted to introduce bar code technology is for the high level of accuracy, which is vital to our business.”
Bar code technology was the right answer for Hilti due to the sheer volume of service repairs the company completes annually. Hilti performs about 30,000 services/repairs per year and the entire repair process from receipt of complaint to customer delivery generally takes only three days. Therefore, it was critical for Hilti to utilize a bar code system that was capable of handling their fast pace and improve their processes.
The Solution
Hilti chose a Datalogic solution consisting of bar code readers and mobile computers. The bar code system would be used in the service center, where the system would track the product through its different phases of repair. They selected Datalogic scanning’s Powerscan PM8300 reader for its cordless capabilities and its display which indicates a Good Read confirmation. Lasse stated, “We also chose this particular scanner because of its durability. It is at home in rugged environments and has even fallen to the floor many times without breaking.”
ECHO Inc. Achieves 99.9 Percent Distribution Accuracy, Better Customer Service with Mobile Printing
Challenge
ECHO parts and finished products—numbering more than 15,000—are housed in a 156,000-square-foot distribution center at the company’s Lake Zurich, Ill., headquarters. Over the years, ECHO’s distribution methods have evolved, increasingly becoming more efficient and customer-focused. ECHO has moved from picking products off a carousel and tagging them for shipping to picking with individual forklifts. Both approaches had their drawbacks in terms of efficiency and accuracy.
As the company’s volume increased, it needed a more precise and clear method of picking and labeling to improve internal efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Solution
In the mid-’90s, ECHO implemented bar code printing in every step of its process, from manufacturing to receiving to labeling to picking and shipping. Later, the move to a wireless mobile bar code solution transformed its distribution center.
The company brought in Zebra® QL 420 Plus direct thermal mobile printers, which work wirelessly with Motorola® MC9090 handheld computers. The QL 420 Plus printer is specifically designed for complex mobile printing applications and built to handle increased levels of wireless security and to process complex labels.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Police Department Sees 30 Percent Increase in Revenue with E-Citation
Challenge
For resource-constrained police departments, time is money. The faster they can issue citations, the more revenue they bring in to fund the department. Moreover, completing each citation more quickly minimizes safety risks for officers.
With a traditional approach to citations, MSP airport officers spent five to seven minutes handwriting each one and then had to re-enter that data into an office system when their shifts were over. In addition to the redundant data entry, as many as 30 percent of the handwritten paper tickets were subject to typos, illegibility or the elements of Minnesota weather—reducing the department’s ability to collect on citations.
“We always had problems being able to read names and numbers or ink would wash away in the rain,” said Officer Jeff Mademann, MSP International Airport PD. “We needed something that was easy to use and would allow officers to pay more attention to offenders and less on paperwork.”
Solution
After years of looking for a better approach, the MSP airport police department found a solution.
Updated 123Scan Utility Makes Configuring and Managing Motorola Scanners Easier Than Ever
Compatible with popular office tools, the PC-based Motorola 123Scan² software makes staging and managing scanners easy
Full of industry firsts, the 123Scan² Configuration Utility for Motorola scanners allows quick and efficient deployment of scanners. The patented wizard tool streamlines the set up process, which can then upgrade scanner firmware and stage large number of scanners simultaneously. Businesses can generate a multi-setting bar code for single scan programming and 123Scan² will check online for software updates to keep scanners running at peak performance – a process made simple because 123Scan² preserves and automatically re-loads pre-upgrade settings upon completion of the firmware upgrade.
Another first is a new utility that automatically detects and establishes a two-way communication with scanners to track and maintain assets and data. This feature combines with powerful reporting applications that provide confirmation that scanners were staged properly and are ready for use, as well as parameter and inventory reports which provide documentation of all provisioning activities – including updates of firmware, configuration settings and more. All of these capabilities are compatible with PC-based systems. Users can generate and email configuration files plus save bar code configuration sheets as Microsoft Word documents for easy re-branding, and can archive asset tracking information directly to Microsoft Access.
Mmmmm Barcodes: European Barcode/Big Mac ad
Here’s a European print ad for McDonald’s Big Mac that features a barcode:
BigMac Only 3.29€
Advertising Agency: Heye Group, Germany
Creative Director: Thomas Winklbauer
Copywriter: Christine Deinhart
Art Director: Joerg Stoeckigt
Barcodes Key to Money-saving Idea for VA Hospitals
Nancy Fichtner, an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs has won the first ever President’s SAVE Award. The SAVE Award is given to the Federal employeee with the best idea to save taxpayer dollars and make the government perform more effectively and efficiently.
Fichtner’s idea is to add a barcode to medicines that would allow a hospital patient to take the unused portions of medications such as ointments, inhalers, eye drops, and other bulk items home with them after discharge. These medicines are now being thrown away in many parts of the VA system because they lack adequate labeling for in-hospital and at-home use.
Fichtner’s idea was selected amongst over 30,000 entries. On Monday, December 21, Nancy will present her idea to President Obama at the White House.
The Nebraska Medical Center Saves Time, Improves Nurse Workflow
Challenge
On average, medication administration accounts for 26 to 32 percent of adult patient medication errors in hospitals, according to the Institute of Medicine. To reduce incidents, hospitals are increasingly moving toward bar code medication administration (BCMA) systems to electronically scan patient wristbands for positive patient identification to reduce preventable adverse drug events.
Before implementing BCMA, The Nebraska Medical Center manually created patient wristbands. The only means a nurse had to positively identify a patient was to verbally confirm the patient’s name and date of birth, and visually compare their responses to the information printed on the wristband. For incoherent patients (critical care, infants, etc.) this manual validation was not even possible, increasing the risk for a preventable adverse drug event to occur.
The hospital realized that BCMA could add a layer of patient safety by leveraging technology to verify and validate patient-specific information. But in order to fully leverage the BCMA system, The Nebraska Medical Center needed a printing solution that could simultaneously produce both two-dimensional bar codes as well as linear bar codes—a capability that existing laser printers lacked. It also needed to print two bar code types on each band; one for positive patient ID and the other to facilitate glucometer device readings.
Solution
With the BCMA go-live date soon approaching, the hospital had to select and implement new printers quickly. Considering the hospital’s two-dimensional requirements, they went with Zebra Technologies.
Shoe Zone’s Feat of Logistics
Hands-free scanning technology has helped to double output for a leading UK shoe retailer, Shoe Zone. Its warehouse now handles 1,000,000 pairs of footwear per week and delivers to the company’s 400 shoe stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Challenge:
• Lengthy manual data-entry process of product codes for warehouse stock items
• Heavy reliance on printed packing lists which can get lost
• Short implementation time
Solution:
• Equipping warehouse workers with a mobile solution
• Zebra mobile QL 320 bar code printers (for printing labels on demand for each filled warehouse carton)
• Motorola wrist-mounted computer and ring scanner
• All scanners, computers and printers link to Shoe Zone’s host system
• The scanning software is integrated in real time to the company’s stock- replenishment system
“Simple Choice Solution” Complete Point of Sale System from Aldelo and Logic Controls
Logic Controls and Aldelo have collaborated to create a complete POS system, preloaded software-hardware bundle, called, “Simple Choice Solution”
“The offering supplied by these two top companies is in my opinion the most reliable and suitable product for the channel,” said Nancy Szczudlik, Distribution Channel Manager at Logic Controls. “The ease of sale combined with the support and commitment of these partners is by far the best I’ve seen in the industry.”
The Simple Choice Solution offers two different hardware configurations an All-in-One POS terminal or a PC-based version.
Option A
LogicTouch includes the top-line Logic Controls All-in-One terminal, LogicTouch, and the most reliable thermal printer from Logic Controls. LogicTouch, known for its high reliability and exceptional performance, has incorporated with 1GHz Celeron-M CPU, 1GB RAM and 80GB HDD. It is equipped with ELO touch screen technology and a built-in MSR for its maximum functionality. Windows XP Pro is included.
Option B
PC-based option comes with the model LC8200 ¡V fan-less and vent-less retail-hardened computer. The small footprint and the rugged die-cast housing provide the flexibility and the reliability needed for restaurant operations. It is the perfect choice for use in the high demand often times harsh hospitality environment. The LC8200 is configured with 1GHz Celeron-M CPU, 1GB RAM, and 80GB HDD. Also included are the 15¡¨ super-value touch screen, the mini magnetic stripe reader, and the USB thermal printer. Microsoft WePOS is included.
The Simple Choice Solution will arrive ready to operate. Both Simple Choice Solution configurations come with Aldelo For Restaurants Lite Edition software preloaded and included in the price. The Lite Edition is the ideal POS software for quick service restaurants. Aldelo’s hospitality solution has been well received in over 40,000 installations around the world due to its flexibility, ease of use and completeness. The Aldelo Lite software can be registered via phone, mail, or the internet, and can be upgraded to the Aldelo For Restaurants Pro Edition at a later date.
Pharmaceutical Distributor solves communication Breakdown with Bar codes
The Challenge
Errors in pharmaceutical reordering are documented sources of negligence in the healthcare industry and can lead to patient endangerment and malpractice suits for healthcare facilities, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies. Despite this reality, many healthcare environments still use a traditional reordering system. Traditional reordering occurs when a nurse discovers a patient’s medication is below a specific level, pulls off the reorder sticker and then faxes the sticker to a pharmacy. These stickers not only ‘gum up’ the customer’s fax machine, but transmit unclear information to the Medicine Centre’s pharmaceutical staff.
The inherent problems of using this traditional method are clear; not only are there substantial opportunities for data capture and transmission errors, but an inefficient use of valuable resources. According to Justin Funk, the Medicine Centre’s Vice President of Information Technology, “We wanted a solution to completely eliminate opportunities for error and to save customers time on the ordering process by reducing inefficiencies on both ends that come from a traditional reordering system.”
The Solution
Funk determined that a wireless bar code system and a tailored software application in concert would facilitate a quick, error-free reordering process. In order to be successful, the Medicine Centre needed to find a barcode scanner that met the following criteria:
- Cordless with long range capabilities
- Highly durable and capable of surviving drops to floor surfaces
- Reliable and intuitive for any nurse to use
- Centralized, 99.9% up time (regardless of power and internet outages)
