Transforming operations with fixed industrial scanners

Fixed industrial scanners are revolutionising the logistics sector, ensuring that products are shipped quickly and accurately to meet increasing customer demand, according to Jamie Mottershead, Technical Director at Renovotec.

Ecommerce is booming, with the sector experiencing continued growth, meaning distribution centres, warehouses, and supply chains need to process goods at a faster rate than ever before. This growth in online shopping and inbound orders has resulted in return rates also steadily increasing, with an average of one in five online purchases being returned currently.

In response, the logistics, manufacturing, and retail industries are embracing digital technology to enhance their data accuracy, productivity, and cost-savings, whilst reducing errors. The adoption of fixed rate scanners and machine vision technology is providing increased inventory management capabilities, and is streamlining operations at a time when businesses need to remain competitive to meet the demands of their customers.

Understanding fixed industrial scanners

Fixed industrial scanners are automated barcode readers that are permanently installed in specific areas of a warehouse or distribution centre. They scan pallets, packages, and other items as they pass through the production line, and the data is sent directly to the host. Incorporating increased automation removes the role of operators needing to manually scan each item individually, meaning work can be completed at a faster pace, and workers can be freed up for more complex tasks.

These scanners can be programmed to look for specific data, such as barcodes, RFID tags, or labels, to enhance capabilities even further. On packing benches, some cameras can capture over 20 images per second, further increasing accuracy and modernising the shipping process.

This technology is commonly found on dock doors, conveyor belts, and forklifts, so that they automatically scan each item that passes their line of vision. Overall, fixed industrial scanners help to optimise tracking and inventory management, boost efficiency, and improve accuracy – all while providing real-time data to help businesses make smarter, more profitable decisions.

For organisations looking to boost their operations further, machine vision technology offers even greater scope for visual inspection and quality control. This includes scanning the gold label of a product or using the machine vision camera to inspect any differences or defects, and it uses OCR data to send the information back to the host.

Implementation considerations

When implementing fixed industrial scanning technology, even starting with simpler models can provide immediate productivity gains. Once confident, businesses can evolve the complexity of their models by adding more advanced software to pick up words, best-before dates, and other key features to ensure they remain compliant with quality standards all while improving their efficiencies.

The positioning of this technology is imperative, and businesses need to ensure that the technology is installed in optimal locations to deliver the best results. Other considerations include providing workers with efficient training and support, so that they understand how the technology works and the best ways of using the data.

While the technology typically has a more expensive upfront cost than handheld scanners, they are extremely cost-effective due to their low implementation effort and ability to provide long-term savings through automation.

Increasing efficiency with technology

Businesses considering the implementation of this technology should contact a specialist to ensure a successful rollout. The supplier must understand your unique requirements and will typically visit your sites to demonstrate how and where solutions can be implemented.

Here at Renovotec, we have provided unique proofs of concept to help our customers better understand how technology can benefit their operations. We also work closely with Zebra, the industry-leading technology provider, to provide efficient solutions for the logistics, manufacturing, and retail markets.

Ultimately, sectors and shopping preferences have evolved, and the logistics industry can no longer rely on manual processes to remain competitive and keep customers satisfied with services. In a world where businesses have to work at pace to meet customer demand, implementing technology is now key to operational success.

Renovotec will be demonstrating its fixed industrial scanner solutions at IMHX on stand B114 at the NEC in Birmingham from the 9^th to 11^th September.