Thanks to the growing popularity of online retailing and direct-to-customer shipments, practically everybody is always looking for a faster, cheaper and more efficient way to ship parcels.
And with online retailers such as Amazon announcing plans to provide delivery within 30 minutes of customers ordering products from their website, the race to increase delivery efficiency is more competitive than ever.
New Technologically-Advanced Scales
To save time and money, many e-Commerce retailers are turning to in-motion electronic conveyor scales. These devices automatically read a package’s identification code while at the same time measuring its dimensions and weight. This data is then used to instantly determine the most cost-effective way to ship the package.
Mark Hudzinski, territory manager for Avery Weight-Tronix — a company that makes these devices — said the sophisticated parcel management software improves efficiency and ultimately saves money by helping retailers automatically identify their best shipping option.
“Choices might include UPS, FedEx, DHL International, US Postal Service or common carrier,” Hudzinski told Modern Materials Handling. “All of this has to happen within milliseconds because production is all about throughput and how fast shipments can be sent out the door.”
High-Speed Data Collection
How fast can in-motion electronic conveyor scales collect the critical information it needs to determine how to process a particular package? Lightning fast, according to Ron Adams, Avery Weigh-Tronix’s sales manager.
“The latest in-line, in-motion conveyor scales can collect a parcel’s weight at speeds as fast as 100 milliseconds,” Adams said. “They can weigh up to 200 parcels per minute.”
But how do they work?
Devices Contain Two Major Components
Essentially, an in-line, in-motion scale is comprised of two parts. The first is a scale that is used to measure the weight of the package. Each scale must be certified according to the National Type Evaluation Program to ensure that an industrial device provides an accurate measurement for any item to be sold by weight, making it legal for trade.
The second part is an indicator that displays and transmits the information to a computer, which can be located either on-site or remotely. Different types of indicators provide different types of connectivity, according to Adams.
“We now offer five different ways to connect to our devices: Ethernet, USB, RS232 serial ports, Bluetooth wireless, and analog.”
Providing Network Visibility
Providing different connectivity modes allows the scales’ indicators to communicate the collected data to the computer regardless of how advanced the technology is being used. So it can provide connectivity if the company is using bar code readers, printers, or local and global data management networks to process the information.
Ethernet remains the most popular because it supports network visibility for managers at all levels of any organization, according to Hudzinski.
“The data is critical for record keeping, to maximize cost efficiencies, and to give management a detailed overview of shipping productivity from any location,” he said.