The impact of IT on logistics – part 8
The use of barcode scanning technology (data collection using readers) instead of manually entering material item identifiers during their registration, followed by a system comparison of the register with generated orders, allows for the detection of errors in the initial phase of the information stream and the elimination of unnecessary costs in later phases. The return on investment in redesigning material receipt procedures in the warehouse using barcodes can be achieved very quickly, thanks to the high reliability of data entry using scanners (readers).
However, the use of automatic identification (ADC) techniques allowing for the retrieval of data read from a barcode requires the use of IT solutions adapted to the situation.
The functional scope of the IT system to be used in the warehouse and to support the material receiving function depends to some extent on whether the system implements some method of systematic information exchange about the delivery between distant cooperating entities: the supplier and the recipient. The following connection cases are possible:
- direct between computers
- indirect via a portable terminal (data collector)
- indirect via a “chip” card (smart card)
- indirect via a barcode label
- indirect via files sent electronically (e.g., via the Internet)
- direct via standard EDI messages.
Direct connection between computers is rarely used. The modern market constitutes a vast field of operation in the area of purchasing and sales, so direct connections would create a complicated network.
The method of indirect connection via a portable terminal entails the necessity of connecting it to the recipient’s computer during the delivery. Information about the delivery is then directly loaded into the warehouse system at the recipient’s. The seemingly simple connection of two links in the supply chain is actually not that simple. Of course, connecting the terminal in terms of physical standards is simple, but logistics is not about physical connection standards. Modern computers are equipped with standard interfaces, increasingly often USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports, allowing the connection of any device operating in this technical standard. Let’s assume then that the portable device was physically connected to the computer, and what next? How to “transfer” the bit streams recorded in the IT structure of system “A” to the structure of system “B”? Of course, you can develop and apply a special interface covering the local method of data exchange, but what to do when data needs to be transferred from system “A” to systems “C”, “D”, “E”, etc.? How to organize a conflict-free data flow from the terminal at the supplier to many different recipient systems? Indeed, neither the supplier nor the recipient operates on the local market in a one-to-one arrangement; the overwhelming majority cooperate in a many-to-many arrangement.