{"id":1146,"date":"2009-09-30T07:55:17","date_gmt":"2009-09-30T13:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/?p=1146"},"modified":"2019-09-13T14:25:29","modified_gmt":"2019-09-13T20:25:29","slug":"orthopedic-supplies-manufacturer-improves-inventory-control-with-bar-codes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/orthopedic-supplies-manufacturer-improves-inventory-control-with-bar-codes\/","title":{"rendered":"Orthopedic Supplies Manufacturer Improves Inventory Control with Bar Codes"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Challenge<\/strong>
\nThe company needed to establish a labeling program, and many of DePuy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s distributors and hospitals were implementing automated receiving systems, which required inventory to be bar coded when it reached their receiving docks.<\/p>\n

Solution<\/strong>
\nThe system, consisting of 20 on-demand label printers<\/a> from Zebra Technologies<\/a>, allowed DePuy to minimize manual data entry, reduce shipping errors, and eliminate the need for costly preprinted forms.<\/p>\n

Product<\/strong>
\nDePuy installed several Zebra\u00c2\u00ae high-performance thermal transfer bar code printers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On-demand labeling delivers great savings in forms costs by eliminating the need for preprinted forms. Many organizations apply bar coding to improve internal operations, while others adopt the technology to comply with customer or regulatory labeling requirements.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how bar codes came to DePuy Orthepaedics, Inc., an international manufacturer known for its orthopedic products. Implementing bar coding turned out to be a blessing in disguise for DePuy\u00e2\u20ac\u201c-they are expecting a $100,000 savings in forms costs alone when all facilities have been converted to the new technology. During the 1980s, DePuy embarked on a plan to widen its distribution channels. Management realized that for the expansion to meet corporate objectives, the company needed to establish a bar code labeling program.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Many of DePuy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s distributors and hospitals were implementing automated receiving systems, which required inventory to be bar coded when it reached their receiving docks. So the company installed a dot matrix label printer to comply with customer requests. After completing implementation of the compliance labeling program, management turned its attention within and looked for ways to use the technology internally. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Prior to bar coding, we entered inventory and shipping information manually into the computer, which always risked the chance for error. Some of our own distributors began using bar codes in their offices and we realized it might solve some problems for us, too,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Mirna Dault, senior programmer\/analyst at DePuy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s headquarters in Warsaw, Indiana. What DePuy ultimately opted for were high speed, high volume thermal transfer printers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The system, consisting of twenty on-demand label printers from Zebra Technologies, allowed DePuy to minimize manual data entry, reduce shipping errors and eliminate the need for costly preprinted forms. DePuy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Warsaw operation currently ships about 200,000 orders annually, totaling approximately one million items. With the dot matrix system in operation, 60 percent of all items were bar coded. Others were labeled with unscannable symbols.<\/p>\n

To use bar codes internally, the company needed a labeling system that could increase the percentage of bar coded product. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When we first started bar coding, we were using form-fed dot matrix printers. But their duty cycles were too light; when the printers went down, they were down for a long time,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d explains Joe Mase, packaging engineer at the facility. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And the previous systems were unable to print logos on the labels. We were spending a lot of money on preprinted forms. A cost savings of over $100,000 has been recognized by switching from two-color preprinted product labels to a blank print-on-demand label.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

To improve the percentage of products labeled with readable bar codes, DePuy installed several Zebra\u00c2\u00ae thermal transfer bar code printers. Now 93 percent of the factory\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s yield ship with bar coded labels in place. Twenty demand-labeling systems generate product and shipping labels for five manufacturing sites in Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, and California, along with five printers in their Leeds, England facility.<\/p>\n

The new labeling systems quickly helped the company cut inventory inaccuracies, slash data entry errors, and improve customer service. The company specified on-demand, thermal transfer printers for their duty cycle and sturdiness. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153DePuy was concerned about the dependability of a printer in a warehouse environment. We selected Zebra printers for their ruggedness, the ability to interface with our AS\/400 system, and the user-friendliness,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Dault. Although DePuy made a sizable investment in hardware and software, Dault said the system will pay for itself within a year. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll recoup our costs quickly because this system reduced our forms expenditures by almost 50 percent. Instead of buying preprinted three-part forms, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re buying blank die-cut label stock. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s saving our Warsaw facility $25,000 in forms costs, and we expect to see an even bigger savings in the Michigan facility,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d explains Dault. In addition, the plant is saving many thousands of dollars by reducing shipping errors, which had cost DePuy between $35 and $55 to correct per transaction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Challenge The company needed to establish a labeling program, and many of DePuy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s distributors and hospitals were implementing automated receiving systems, which required inventory to be bar coded when it reached their receiving docks. Solution The system, consisting of 20 on-demand label printers from Zebra Technologies, allowed DePuy to minimize manual data entry, reduce shipping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[135],"tags":[8,13],"yoast_head":"\nOrthopedic Supplies Manufacturer Improves Inventory Control with Bar Codes - Barcoding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/orthopedic-supplies-manufacturer-improves-inventory-control-with-bar-codes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Orthopedic Supplies Manufacturer Improves Inventory Control with Bar Codes - Barcoding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Challenge The company needed to establish a labeling program, and many of DePuy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s distributors and hospitals were implementing automated receiving systems, which required inventory to be bar coded when it reached their receiving docks. 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