3 ways barcoding technology benefits warehouses and increase efficiency

By Joseph Walston, Director of Operations at Sentient Lasers.

In an age of faster shipping and delivery times brought on by retail giants like Amazon, efficiency within warehouses has become increasingly important. One tried-and-true method of warehouse organization is barcoding technology. With this process, as new inventory comes in, it’s labeled with individual plate numbers and then added to a digital list of the warehouse’s inventory. Once labeled, warehouses can track inventory on a micro-level, increasing efficiency throughout. 

There are many of benefits to organizing a warehouse both for the customer and the company. Below are three main ways using barcoding technology can help:

1. Collecting Internal Data

Similarly to how tracking personnel hours at a company provides useful insight to where time is being spent and therefore where money is going, tracking inventory using barcoding technology offers warehouses useful metrics on how the company is running. Barcoding technology provides insight into what areas of the warehouse are frequented most, which products are available and how many, and when it’s time to order more of something. Knowing these details can help a company run more efficiently and provide customers greater transparency. 

2. Increases Employee Productivity

Without proper technology and organization, warehouses are susceptible to human error. Adding a barcoding system decreases human error because it removes the need to memorize numbers or codes of products and replaces it with a scanning technology. It also allows employees to locate specific machines or parts without even entering the warehouse, decreasing the amount of time running around searching for a product solely based on its make or model. 

3. Increases Customer Satisfaction

There are two main ways that barcoding technology increases customer satisfaction. One way is by decreasing human error and therefore increasing the speed of getting products into customers hands. A second way is by creating transparency. In the past, warehouses without barcoding technology lacked visibility. Today, customers have their own dashboards where they can log in and check on the status of their purchase. Think: Dominos’ pizza delivery app that shows where your pizza is in its process.

If you’re looking to update your warehouse technology, consider barcoding your inventory. Though the process may take some time and hard work on the frontend, the benefits of easy tracking and quick processing will become apparent soon after. Reduced human error and expanded possibilities for tracking products make barcoding technology an integral asset to warehouse management.