www.instrument.com - Sunday, October 12, 2008
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Eveready Battery Company Implements RF Wireless AutoID

Wireless Data Collection System Re-charges

Battery Manufacturers SAP R/3 Investment

Improves Distribution Center’s Shipping

Accuracy and Efficiency

Distribution Application- RF Wireless

Vehicle Mount Data Collection Application

Eveready Battery Company, Inc., (Energizer Holdings, Inc., St Louis, MO, NYSE ENR), the world's largest manufacturer of dry cell batteries and flashlights completely revamped their paper-based order fulfillment, packing, and shipping operations at one of their largest production plants with the use of barcodes, RF wireless technology, SAP R/3 host integration, and rugged LANpoint® CE Vehicle Mount Data Collection Terminals (VMT) from Intelligent Instrumentation.

Eveready Battery Company decided to completely automate their order fulfillment and shipping process at their Maryville, MO production plant. The existing paper-based system was plagued with the typical problems associated with a manual order release system such as hand-keyed data entry errors, untimely updating of SAP movement transactions from production to distribution, inventory control, and order fulfillment verification.

Eveready partnered with Rockpile Solutions, a Value Added Solutions Provider headquartered in Cleveland, OH, to provide automated data collection solutions for their production and shipping processes. Rockpile Solutions specializes in developing and implementing wireless and web-enabled data collection systems, barcode and mobile solutions for manufacturing, production and warehouse environments. By implementing Rockpile Solutions’ GlyphStream™ Enterprise Data Server, clients can seamlessly integrate their data collection applications with interfaces to SAP R/3®, ODBC databases, and other ERP & WMS systems.

Eveready implemented Rockpile Solutions’ GlyphStream Mobile Platform to automate their order fulfillment and shipping process. By converting this process from traditional paper-based load sheets to integrated real-time electronic versions incorporating the use of automated identification equipment, RF wireless communications and barcodes, Eveready’s Maryville production facility was able to greatly improve their customer order fulfillment and shipping accuracy, and to improve the efficiency of their distribution center’s operations.

Customer orders are now entered and maintained in a customized Windows PC application called the GlyphStream Load Sheet Module. When the customer orders are scheduled for shipping, warehouse personnel simply request the next Load Sheet data in real-time using a customized Load Shipment Business Process Module application running on a forklift mounted LANpoint CE data collection terminal.

The customer order load sheet data directs the warehouse employee to exactly which pallets need to be loaded and the quantity of cartons required for each pallet. This action ensures first-in first-out (FIFO) inventory management control and streamlines the order fulfillment process. In addition, the system provides an audit and verification procedure that matches the production order and load sheet data. Before a pallet is loaded onto an outbound carrier, its unique barcode label is first scanned using a long-range scanner attached to a LANpoint CE VMT. If the scanned pallet is on the electronic load sheet, its carton quantity is noted and updated. Otherwise, an error message alerts the employee that the scanned pallet is not on the current customer order. This verification process has resulted in fewer shipping errors, improved inventory control and customer service, provides immediate error resolution, and allows for faster overall loading operations.

An added benefit of the GlyphStream Load Shipment application running on the LANpoint CE VMT is its seamless integration into Eveready’s SAP R/3 Enterprise Resource Planning system. If a stray pallet finds its way to the shipping dock without a production issue, the GlyphStream application alerts the user when the pallet’s barcode label is scanned. The user then has the option to automatically submit the pallet data as a “Goods Issue from Production” transaction to Eveready’s SAP R/3 host system via the GlyphStream Enterprise Data Server platform and then load the pallet for shipping, or the employee can set the pallet aside for resolution at a later time. In either case, stray pallets no longer find their way onto outbound shipping carriers without first being reported to the SAP R/3 system .

Eveready’s Maryville facility implementation of the GlyphStream Mobile Platform, real-time data exchange using wireless technology and vehicle mounted LANpoint CE data collection terminals has resulted in time and costs savings, and has greatly improved the efficiency and accuracy of order fulfillment and distribution operations. Pleased with the order fulfillment and distribution systems benefits, the Maryville production plant is currently working with Rockpile Solutions to implement additional GlyphStream Business Process Modules for receiving, cycle counting, and physical inventory counts.

Rockpile Solutions delivers wireless and web-enabled data collection, barcode and mobile solutions for the WinCE, PocketPC and PalmOS platforms. Their GlyphStream Enterprise Data Server platform integrates seamlessly and in real-time with native interfaces for SAP R/3, ODBC databases and other ERP & WMS systems. Rockpile Solutions specializes in the manufacturing, production and warehouse industries where they offer Plant Maintenance, Field Service, Production Reporting, and Warehouse & Inventory Management data collection and barcode solutions. Headquartered in Cleveland, OH, and offices in Boston and Denver, they provide full service and support for their clients’ data collection and integration needs. “We are big fans of the LANpoint CE data collection terminals manufactured by Intelligent Instrumentation based in Tucson, AZ,” says Dave Vislosky, Director of Sales for Rockpile Solutions. “The open architecture of the LANpoint CE unit serves our clients as both a very functional and cost-effective RF wireless forklift mount AutoID terminal unit, as well as a great Windows CE development unit for our customized Warehouse Management applications. As such, we recommend the units to our clients whenever there is a need for RF wireless vehicle mounted terminals.”

GlyphStream Load Sheet Module

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RF Vehicle LANpoint Terminals