As supply chains and distribution facilities come back online after weathering what is, hopefully, the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, owners are looking for new ways to automate processes to reduce costs and increase their workforce productivity.
Any technology that can help warehouses save time can contribute to a significant uptick in cost savings. For example, there are 6.9 weeks wasted every year in U.S. warehouses due to unnecessary motion.
Just 20 seconds here or there can add up to significant costs — 265 million labor hours and about $4.3 billion each year.
If your warehouse personnel is using roundabout picking paths to fulfill orders or having to run back and forth from printers to scan and print tracking labels, then chances are your warehouse can benefit from technology to minimize needless roaming.
Additionally, suppose the wrong items are picked because things aren’t being scanned appropriately. In that case, you may be paying for the cost of mis-shipped items through refunds, replacement, or outright loss of customers.
Mobile printing in the distribution environment provides a low-cost, simple solution to many of these productivity and money-wasting activities to help your warehouse be more productive, efficient, and profitable.
How to Use Mobile Printing in the Distribution Environment
Mobile printing is a simple, low-cost technology that can help improve warehouse operations, lower costs, and make everyday tasks safer and more efficient.
Mobile Printers and Batch Labels
You can use mobile printers to generate labels for inventory and shipping at the same time to reduce cross-dock time and provide 100% accuracy. When mobile printers are used to mark inventory, you can easily trace products throughout the fulfillment lifecycle while reducing the staff time needed to travel from merchandise to printers to pick up labels.
Mobile Printers for Staging and Sorting
Sorting and staging goods for picking and shipping is a critical element of a fast-paced warehouse — and a place where errors are likely to occur.
Mobile printers can label inventory swiftly to reduce picking errors and verify order accuracy.
Mobile Printers to Reduce Bottlenecks
Mobile printers can reduce logjams that often occur at stationary printers. Using these lightweight, easy-to-transport devices, warehouses can push labeling activity back to the pick-up stage.
Using these printers, drivers label cartons as they are loaded onto their trucks, so they arrive at the distribution center with appropriate labels to reduce the burden on receiving dock employees.
Mobile Printers for Better Quality Assurance
When labels are appropriately added through the pick/pack/ship lifecycle, it becomes easier to check quality using barcode scanners. Once QA/QC is completed, a new label can be generated to mark the shipment as inspected.
Besides increasing productivity and reducing labor costs, mobile printers help warehousing environments streamline processes, automate previously manual processes to reduce errors, and provide a competitive advantage over less-technical operations.
Blue Technologies Can Help You Find the Right Mobile Printer for Your Warehouse
Warehousing, manufacturers, and the transportation sector have all been hard-hit by the pandemic, resulting in widespread losses and significant market share impacts.
With supply chains coming back online, savvy distribution centers will want to hit the ground running to get a jump on the competition. One of the smartest — and lowest cost — ways distribution centers can streamline their processes for better returns is to invest in mobile printers.
Today’s mobile printers are reliable, withstand harsh warehouse conditions, and equipped with onboard intelligence that provides additional security on the warehouse floor.
Battery life has improved over time, with many printers capable of completing a full working shift of eight hours with minimal power consumption.
At Blue Technologies, our team of IT experts has curated the most reliable mobile printers available. We can expertly assess your centers’ needs and goals to help you choose the mobile printer right for your specific application.
Our team can further support you after the purchase, providing expert troubleshooting, and helping you scale up as your business improves.
Choose the technology that will help you streamline your distribution center for better efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Contact a Blue Technologies consultant today and discover how mobile printers can transform your warehouse today.