Mike Maris is the senior director of transportation and logistics at Zebra Technologies, which completed its acquisition of Motorola Solutions' Enterprise business in October 2014. He spoke with Aftermarket Business World about the role of bar code scanning and other automatic identification technology in warehouse and distribution operations.
How can bar code labeling/scanning improve operations in a distribution center?
The bar code as a license plate makes looking up products very easy. They have also improved inbound receiving. When products are marked with an inbound bar code, you can scan that code, compare to what you received, and guarantee you got the right item. On the picking side, you can ensure you've scanned the right item and picked the right number of pieces.
What are some common mistakes companies make when it comes to scanning applications in the warehouse?
One of the common things we see is people disable the scanning and assume that if an item has a bar code on it, then it's right. That goes back to quality control. If you receive it wrong, you will pick it wrong and ship it wrong.
We hear a lot of complaints in the aftermarket about label quality or suppliers mismanaging their SKUs/serial numbers. Scans at the distribution center often don't match what's supposed to be in the box because of supplier labeling mistakes. How can distributors work with suppliers to overcome these problems?
There are two ways to handle that: the nice way and the right way. The nice way is you call and have meetings with suppliers, show them pictures, correspond with them, and ask them to do a better job. The Wal-Mart way has proven to be the right way. If you send the right product with the wrong bar code, they penalize you financially for that mistake. That does wonders for making sure that suppliers get it right the first time. It costs the warehouse money to manage it, but if they don't have the right quantity to send to customers, the merchandiser won't get paid for it. Penalizing them for that is a common practice in the consumer goods and retail business.
In the automotive market, shops will call different suppliers looking for a part. The first one with the part gets paid, and the others have to turn around and go back home. Having the right inventory easily available depends on good bar codes.
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