Keeping Warehouses in Order

Within the fast-paced distribution network of a leading U.S. flooring manufacturer, nearly 3,000 individual SKUs must be tracked as they travel between more than 40 warehouses, through delivery and on to stores and contractors.

This Fortune 500 company produces flooring of all varieties — from carpet and rugs to hardwood and ceramic tile — and is committed to protecting its valued brand. That requires fulfilling orders as quickly and as error-free as possible.

To accomplish this, the company employs a state-of-the-art warehouse management system to manage its flooring inventory, and it needs a barcode labeling system that’s equal to the task.

“We found Camcode’s bar code system to be the most costeffective and efficient solution.”

That’s why they chose Camcode for their bulk location bar code system.

“We had been using a hanging bar code system that was professional but had several limitations,” says this company’s logistics manager. “When we were opening several warehouses in 2006, we knew we needed to find a more suitable bulk location bar code system.”

The company’s previous bulk location bar code system was constructed using PVC pipes suspended by chains with flat, fixed signs attached. According to the logistics manager, the pipes and chains added greatly to the system expense and were labor-intensive to install. The flat signs often didn’t hang straight, making them difficult to scan from a distance, and they were tough to move when warehouse locations changed. Floor labeling wasn’t an option for the company, either – pallets too often would obstruct the scanner’s view of the bar code.

“Camcode’s quick and responsive service was critical to keeping this project on schedule.”

“Things move fast around here, and we needed a bar code system that provided easy and accurate scanning, but could also be installed or moved quickly,” he says. “We found Camcode’s bar code system to be the most cost-effective and efficient solution.”

This flooring manufacturer’s choice was Camcode’s Hanging Long-Range Retro Reflective System, which features a unique bracket design that keeps the bar code label at the proper angle for optimum scanning. The bar code label hangs from a suspended wire over the product location, and can easily be read from distances of up to 30 feet. The company was also able to significantly reduce labor and materials costs on installation, and save time in the process. The Camcode system has already been installed in 10 of the company’s warehouses, and more are planned in the near future.

“We were facing a tight deadline to have this new bar code system installed and ready to use in our new warehouses,” says the logistics manager. “Camcode’s quick and responsive service was critical to keeping this project on schedule.”