Applications
The simplest and probably most widely used data collection/bar coding application is Access Control. This application enables certain approved personnel to have access to certain areas of a business or home. This is accomplished through the validation of a scanned badge or keyed-in ID code on a Fixed Station or Portable data collection terminal. Validation files are typically accessed and searched to approve access to the specific requester. Access Control will also track who enters where, when and for how long if all associated entrances and exits are controlled via the Access System.
Very similar to Inventory Management, Asset Tracking applications are designed to track a company's assets (typically high valued assets) according to Identification Tag, Location, Vendor, When Put into Production/Use, When To Provide Maintenance, etc. Asset Tracking typically involves the use of bar codes, data collection technology and some sort of database development. Several Fixed Asset solutions provides full asset management, including budgets, status, disposal, depreciation, financial analysis and ledger management. Fixed Assets solutions should offer you a simple, flexible yet comprehensive way to control the acquisition, disposition, transfer and maintenance of your assets. An inexpensive and flexible fixed asset tracking package is IntelliTrack Fixed Assets
Many large retailers and government agencies require suppliers to ship goods with specific labels. Compliance labeling is the name given to the process of ensuring that all pallets and cases sent to these customers meet their requirements. Compliance labeling is often used with Advanced Ship Notice and other Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) technologies for alerting the customer of shipments. A compliace labeling solution will often involve bar code printers with label verifiers and portable data collection terminals. RFID adoption by larger retailers and government agencies has spawned a sub-set of compliance labeling called 'Slap and Ship'.
This application will vary from business to business but typically involves people working remotely to provide a service to their customer which involves the gathering and sometimes validation of specific data for applications such as: Route Account Management, Meter Information, Auto/Truck Mobile Maintenance, Appliance Repairs, Product Shipping/Deliver,etc. Field Service applications will sometimes require real-time database validation and data uploading which involves the use of a 'cell' system. These applications may only require 'batch/forward' technology which will may require more intelligence and memory for the portable unit. Many Field Service applications also involve the use of bar codes which puts a demand on the portable data collection unit to be bar code reader ready. Many Field Service processes include communicating with headquarters, receiving work assignments, completing work orders, submitting billing information to accounting, and even ordering parts. Features and Benefits of a Field Service Application:
- Provides instant and continuous communication between the field, dispatchers, and customers for faster and more efficient service.
- Increased productivity - eliminates more than two hours a day of unproductive time per technician.
- Lowered operating costs - dramatically reduces the need for cellular phones and pagers.
- Increased cash flow - automatically captures time sheet and billing information so manual reconciliation is minimized and invoices can be sent in minutes instead of weeks.
- Increased profits - prompts technicians to electronically record additional service opportunities and automatically sends them to the sales department for quick follow-up and action.
A productivity measure of the rate of output of a worker or a group of workers per unit of time compared to an established or benchmarked standard or rate of output. Labor Tracking or Labor Productivity can be expressed as output per unit of time or output per labor hour. Labor Tracking may also be associated with Time & Attendance. Some Time & Attendance Systems are designed for various sized businesses, where one centralized PC manages employee time, attendance, scheduling, and job tracking. Produce valuable management reports, employee accountability, secure audit trail and easy access to historical data. Bi-directional interface eliminates the redundant transfer of data to payroll and HR programs.
Initially consist of Machine Hours, Machine Loading, Machine Productivity and Machine Utilization. These applications are used to manage and control the following activities and metrics of Machine oriented Production:
- Machine Hours: is the amount of time a Machine is running versus actual labor hours. Machine Hours may be used for planning capacity and scheduling and allocating cost.
- Machine Loading: The accumulation by workstations, machine or machine group of the hours generated from the scheduling of operations for released orders by time period.
- Machine Productivity: The rate of output of a machine in a unit of time compared with an established standard or rate of output. Machine Productivity can be expressed as output per unit of time or output per machine hour.
- Machine Utilization: This is a measure of actual machine time for output including, setup and run, compared to available time.
MANUFACTURING EXECUTION SYSTEMS:
Manufacturing Execution Systems can be a variety of several types of detailed Work-in-Process applications. A factory floor information and communication system, MES will dive into the detail of the production of a product, managing and tracking all processes, raw materials, labor management, resource allocation, data collection and acquisition, operations status, quality tracking and genealogy, performance analysis and results/decision based manufacturing. MES will provide real-time feedback from the factory floor and typically integrates with accounting-oriented and resource planning systems. MES often involves paperless work orders.This application requires that either raw material or tools be issued to either people or work orders. The Stockroom environment is typically dirty and rugged and for optimum tracking management requires a Portable RF Scanning Terminal. If your Material Stockroom or Tool Crib is small enough, a Fixed Station Terminal can provide a very good bar code/data collection solution. An excellent solutions for the Stockroom is IntelliTrack Stockroom
The process of withdrawing or pulling from stock (utilizing a Portable RF Terminal with a scanner) the components required to make the products or the finished goods to be shipped to a customer. Then Packing (scanning against sales order with either a Fixed Station Terminal with a scanner or a Portable RF Terminal with a scanner) for safe shipping and unitizing one or more items of an order, placing into an appropriate container, and marking and labeling the container with the customer shipping destination information.
Quality Assurance or 'quality at the source' is a producer's responsibility to provide 100% acceptable quality material whether raw material or finished goods, to the consumer of the material. The objective is to reduce or eliminate shipping or receiving inspections and line stoppages as a result of supplier defects. Quality Assurance applications typically utilize Fixed Station Terminals with scanners to determine the quality mean of a material and then to compare the sample material's properties with that of the Mean. Bar coding plays an important role in Quality Assurance applications as well.
The function encompassing the physical receipt of material, the inspection of the shipment for conformance with the purchase order including the quantity, quality and damage; (scanned purchased order to identify the contents of expected order and enter in actual received contents, quality, quantity and condition using Portable RF Terminals), the identification and delivery to destination, and the preparation of receiving reports. For the Received/Received Inspection applications a Portable RF Terminal with laser scanner provides for mobility, user freedom, streamline data input, intelligent directed put-away and real-time validation and acceptance.
The function that provides facilities for the outgoing shipment of parts, products, and components. It includes packaging, marking, weighing, and loading (scanning all data for products shipped with a Portable RF Terminal with scanner) for shipment. The function of encompassing (reconciliation using a Portable RF Terminal with scanner) the physical receipt of material, the inspection of the shipment for conformance with the purchase order (quantity and damage), the identification of delivery to destination, and the preparation of receiving reports.
A system for using data from the shop floor to maintain and communicate status information on shop orders (manufacturing orders) and on work centers. The major sub functions of shop floor control are: (1) assigning priority of shop floor orders, (2) maintaining work-in-process quantity information, (3) conveying shop order status information to the business system, (4) providing actual output data of capacity control purposes, (5) providing quantity by location by shop order for work-in-process inventory and accounting purposes, and (6) providing measurement of efficiency, utilization, and productivity of the work force and machines. All above shop floor control applications are addressed very effectively and efficiently with Fixed Station Terminals with scanners. Using RF Fixed Station Terminals can eliminate the cost of hard wire and provide for a mobile and wireless production environment. Data Net's Co-Log / Open or DataBridge can be configured to develop a company's shop floor applications to be unique and well defined as well as to fully integrate into various ERP packages.
Slap and Ship is a name given to certain types of RFID compliance systems. In particular, it refers to a system that produces RFID compliance labels as the last step before a case or pallet is shipped to the customer requiring RFID compliance. Such systems are in use by companies that are often evaluating RFID systems or are only interested in satisfying the mandates of companies like Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense. A typical slap and ship system consists of an RFID printer and a fixed or portable RFID reader for verification.
Typically in Time & Attendance you'll want your employees to scan in, or key in their employee identification number as they enter the building or enter their work zone. The Time & Attendance terminal that has been most successful with this application is a Fixed Station terminal equipped with a bar code or magnetic swipe and a fully functional numeric keyboard to allow employees to key in their identification number in the event of a lost or damaged card.
WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT / INVENTORY CONTROL / CYCLE COUNTING:
The activities and techniques of maintaining the desired levels of items, whether raw materials, work in progress or finished products. An Inventory accuracy audit technique where inventory is counted on a cyclic schedule rather than once a year. A cycle inventory count is usually taken on a regular, defined basis (often more frequently for high-value or fast-moving items and less frequently for low-value or slow moving items). Most effective cycle counting systems require the counting of a certain number of items every workday with each item counted at a prescribed frequency. Using Data Net's Portable RF Terminals and Co-Log / Open, companies can configure cycle counting applications to their unique business processes and operations. IntelliTrack Inventory and IntelliTrack Warehouse Management System also offer robust solutions for inventory management.Within Work-in-Progress you'll have products in various stages of completion (work stage complete is scanned and entered through a Fixed Station Terminal with a scanner) throughout the plant including all material from raw material (raw material used is scanned to work order and entered through a Fixed Station Terminal) that has been released for initial processing up to completely processed material awaiting final inspection and acceptance as finished product or goods. Further, data is often collected on employee productivity, scrap and machine downtime. Data Net's Co-Log / Open configures WIP applications to be as unique and defined as a company's business processes and operations.