Doing more and doing better with less, part 3: Shipping

There’s a good selection of digital tools you can use today to help save time and money.

This is the final instalment in a series of three articles designed to show you how to put digital tools to work in managing your business more effectively.

Optimizing shipping management is based on package identification and inventory serialization. Keep reading to learn more about how this can change everything with the article "Doing more and doing better with less: inventory".

Optimization of administration

Automating repetitive tasks

Many shipping departments are submerged in paperwork. Office workers spending endless hours inputting, manipulating, and re-entering documents (load slips, invoices…and the like). An unbelievable waste of time with the risk of errors piling up at every step.
But it doesn’t have to be that way thanks to Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) like EFFECTO OnSite. Double entry is a thing of the past with all systems, including accounting, seamlessly interconnected. They can automatically generate customs papers and invoices or transfer to accounting. The time you save is significant and the reliability factor is through the roof.

Giving forklift operators the mobility to go the distance

In tablet-equipped forklifts, operators get shipping orders directly from the office or the carriers themselves. And with access to the shipment schedule for the next two to three weeks, operators can get ready for deliveries even before the trucks arrive, all in real time with internet coverage permitting. (With an offline interface and a Wi-Fi router updates can be received whenever operators get close enough to the office.)

Increase shipping volume

With the integration of digital technology at shipping and loading stations, users report increased product deliveries of up to 50% without adding any additional workers in the office or in the yard.

Eliminating claims

Eliminating loading errors

To err is human. No matter how skilled your operators are, with the speed and the volumes processed, there are bound to be errors. But when operators can rely on connected objects to facilitate loading, errors can be caught before they’re made.

By following the app on their tablets, operators know exactly which batch to load. They simply scan the batches as they’re loaded. The system guides them all the way and alerts them in case of error. It’s impossible to load a batch not listed on the order without taking deliberate steps to comply with a last-minute change. This prevents not only quantity but also product errors and ensures that operators never send out the wrong delivery. (Read also the testimonial of Marco, Loading operator)

This loading tool is also a great help for integrating new employees.