Santa delivers presents to the children of the world in one night. While some say its magic, we know it’s through a good WMS, fleet management and asset tracking.

Ever wonder how Santa delivers all those presents in one night—how does he remember who gets what and how does he get around so quickly?

Long before Christmas, Santa and his elves are preparing for the big day in the workshop. When you see Santa and his helpers at the mall, they not only listen to what kids want, but are sending requests back to elves in the workshop in real-time using field service software on a mobile computer. Once the request is sent, the name of the child is automatically added to their database and cross-checked to see if the child was naughty or nice.

As you can imagine, Santa’s workshop is very large, so he uses a Workshop Management System (WMS [Warehouse Management System]) to keep track of all of the toys and supplies needed to create them. The WMS ensures that all of Santa’s toys are put on the right shelves so that when it comes time for the holiday season, they are easy to find, pick and pack.

Christmas Eve is Santa’s busiest day—he has to travel the world in order to deliver presents to all of the good boys and girls. This seemingly impossible task for Santa and his reindeer is made possible through fleet management software. The fleet management software helps Santa create an optimized route plan that takes into consideration how many presents can fit into the sleigh, the number of trips down chimneys needed, time zones and more.

While Santa and his reindeer are out delivering the gifts, the elves in the workshop are making sure that everything gets delivered to the right place at the right time through package tracking software.

Although Santa’s day is busy, he makes it work by using the right technology so as to not disappoint any of the little ones. Have a warehouse, inventory or mobile fleet that just might be as busy as Santa’s? Contact us to see how you can streamline your processes and become more efficient—delivering toys to all of the world’s children in one night is no easy task, but Barcoding. Inc. is always up for the challenge.

If you didn’t get a chance to see Barcoding Inc.’s live demonstration, “Accelerating the Supply Chain,” at NBWA, then you’re in luck—there’s still time to see it at the International Foodservice Distributors Association’s (IFDA) 2011 Distribution Solutions Conference (DSC). The conference will be held Oct. 24-26 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. At the conference, you will be able to see the latest trends, products and innovations in foodservice distribution, providing industry leaders with knowledge on applying these solutions to their business.

Barcoding Inc.’s demonstration will depict how mobile hardware and software solutions promote efficiency, accuracy and visibility for food distributors by using a combination of solutions from our extensive network of partners, such as Intermec. The demonstration will consist of three different parts, focusing on warehouse logistics, transportation and delivery management, emphasizing the benefits of automation throughout the supply chain.

“Our live demonstrations are ideal for any foodservice distributor interested in leveraging technology to enhance efficiency inside and outside the four walls, boost their profitability, and comply with the most stringent food distribution regulations,” said Shane Snyder, vide president of sales.

For more information, learn more here, or register for IFDA’s 2011 Distribution Solutions Conference.

Barcoding Inc.’s very own Jay Steinmetz, CEO, recently connected with SupplyChainBrain to discuss how automated identification technology has affected logistics both in and out of the warehouse. Below, Jay answers the questions that matter most:

Jay, you’ve seen quite a few large-scale implementations in the last 14 years. What makes them succeed or fail?
A lot of the failures don’t have top-level buy-in or you have competing resources. Sometimes, these guys don’t really want to see people succeed because it’s not their department. Unfortunately, sometimes you can’t stop that even with good project management.

What kind of preparatory work should precede big implementations like these?
You have to make sure that the people who are to use the technology have some sort of commitment to the system. But you must also make sure the stuff will literally change the process flow. A lot of times people implement these systems but just take their existing processes instead of really understanding the core of why these systems are being implemented to begin with.

Buy-in, prep work – what else is needed to succeed?
Project management is critical. You need a system deployment that’s staged, that’s configured, that has proper device management. We want to look into the devices, see who’s using them effectively, who’s not, who’s entering the information correctly. And you want to create an automation factor, which means you prevent the ability for the customer to make mistakes to begin with.

It’s clear that this kind of technology empowers users. So where does it go from here? What trends do you see?
It will be convergence like we’ve never seen before. A lot of RFID and barcoding, readers with built-in knowledge capability, built-in databases, built-in GPS – built-in GPRS, so I can magnetically attach a device to a truck and know the moment an asset is deployed.

With convergence we’re finding new avenues and new opportunities in businesses that never thought they would utilize automatic identification technology.

Learn More
Other participants in the discussion included Larry Mahan, general manager of Sky-Trax; Ralph Lieberthal, principal, transportation & logistics, Motorola Solutions Inc.; Mike Lee, CEO of Airclic; Chris Sweeney, senior vice president of Lucas Systems; and Chris Schenk, vice president of product marketing at Xata Corp.

Read the full Q&A will all of the participants here.

Don’t see an answer to the question your looking for? Ask it by commenting below, or on our Facebook or twitter pages.

Learn the ins and outs of finding the right POD system.

Do you remember the 2006 spinach scare, or perhaps the 2009 peanut butter recall? Events such as these, in addition to the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI), which outlines a course of action to achieve supply-chain wide adoption of electronic traceability on every case of produce by 2012, has made food traceability an increasingly important issue.

However, it’s important to recognize that these recalls could have been prevented, or at least handled faster, had the proper mobile distribution solution been used. A quality Proof of Delivery (POD) system would increase accuracy in deliveries, but also ensure food traceability. Knowing that a POD can improve food traceability and ensure PIT compliance by 2012, how do you choose a system that’s right for you?

Here’s some tips and next steps to ensure your POD implementation goes as smoothly as possible:

Step 1: Conduct a Mobile Assessment
Determine your technological needs by asking:what is your operational purpose?

• Are you satisfied with your current level of automation or do you want to improve it?
• Are your customers satisfied with your solutions or are they demanding improvement?
• What are your competitors doing and why?

Read the rest of this entry »

Choosing a vehicle-mount computer can be tricky, but these tips should help guide you to a decision.

Size Matters
When investing in a new vehicle-mount computer (VMC), it’s especially important to consider the screen size and the dimensions of the VMC itself. Finding a VMC that’s the right size has a major impact on forklift operators and their overall visibility. Typically, demo units or to-size cut-outs are available for testing before investing. Exploring different mounting options to ensure the highest visibility, of both the screen and windshield, should also be done as a precautionary measure—no one wants a VMC that blocks off the majority of their view.

Resolve to Get the Right Resolution
In addition to the size of the device and size of the screen, screen resolution is of the utmost importance. VMC’s measure their screen resolution in NITs, a unit of measurement of light in candles per meter square, or Cd/m2. The higher the NIT amount of a display, the easier it is to read, even in direct sunlight. Consider your warehouse facility, in addition to if the majority of your data collection is done inside or outside, in order to determine screen resolution and brightness.

Pick a Partner
If you’ve narrowed down some options for a new VMC, but still aren’t exactly sure what to get, choose a partner that will be able to honestly assess your needs and make a recommendation. Barcoding Inc. offers a variety of different VMCs, even the latest in technology, such as the LXE Thor. The Thor VMC offers a 400 NIT indoor display and a 900 NIT outdoor display for easy visibility. Learn more about LXE and their products here, or, ask about other warehouse operations solutions.