As in retail, location is everything to efficiently managing your inventory.
Considering implementing a warehouse management system? One of the best things to tackle prior to implementing a warehouse management system is to label your bin/rack locations prior to the start of the implementation. A three dimension naming scheme meets the needs of most warehouse operations, however if a rack position can store multiple pallets you may need to consider a fourth dimension to your scheme.
When labeling your bin or rack locations, scan performance must be considered as part of the initial design. Isle width, lighting, rack height and equipment used all have a significant influence on scan performance.
To ensure all variables are considered, perform a real world test of scan performance prior to labeling your warehouse. Most label printing and mobile computer vendors have samples and demo equipment that can be provided at no cost to support the testing process.
Sometimes the isles are so narrow or the racking so high that it becomes extremely difficult to reliably scan the most distant locations. In this situation one may consider defining sub locations to allow the operator to scan an easily accessible barcode and then entering a single digit level to complete the definition of the bin or rack location.
Below is an example of a barcode label for three dimensional naming scheme. Barcode labels can be printed on simple poly labels or reflective labels if improved scanning performance is required. In no case should you ever consider printing location labels on direct thermal label media. Direct thermal label media will fade significantly over time.
This example include code 128 symbology at 10 mill, while separating the human readable portion with white space to make it more readable from a distance.
Consider downloading our PDF versions of bin location labels which can be printed and the Excel data source for these labels if you need to import the same locations.
PDF location_labels_2x4
PDF location_labels_3x5
PDF location_labels_3x8
PDF location_labels_4x6
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