Quick Specs
- Scan, Lookup, Print & Apply
- Integrated Packing Slip Inserter
- Custom Software Communication Package
This customer is one of the largest office supply companies in the United States. They wanted to automate their East Coast and West Coast distribution centers. Each shipment was unique- both the contents of each carton and the shipping information would change for each order. Fast, accurate information is critical; they operate on a 7-hour window from order placement to shipping.
FOX IV provided a turnkey system to automate the shipping label and packing slip process. Each system consists of integrated printing station, a FOXNet network, database and production management software.
The integrated printing station consists of a PC and software in an environmental enclosure, a label printer applicator, a laser printer with a paper feeding mechanism, and a bar code scanner. FOXNet is connected to the customers proprietary warehouse management system. FOXNet can control up to 25 integrated printing stations. A batch of orders is sent hourly from the customers warehouse management system. Each packet of data contains the packing slip information, the shipping information, a shipping priority code, and the conveyor location for each order that was to be processed.
The FOX IV software automatically sends the packing slip information and the shipping information to the appropriate printing station and prioritizes the production sequence based on the customer's requirements. A packing slip can range from one to three 8.5in X 11in pages. Based on the information supplied by the customer's WMS, the correct number of packing slip pages are printed and automatically inserted inside the shipping carton. The matching shipping label is printed and automatically applied on the outside of the carton. FOX IV's software guarantees that the packing slip and shipping label are to the same customer. The bar code scanner checks for scannable bar code on the shipping label. FOX IV's software keeps track of shipments, monitors transmission and database errors and automatically sends a report to the WMS.
FOX IV also provides (via the Internet) remote monitoring and technical support of the system for the east coast and west coast operation.