Tolsa streamlines product movements with mobility solution
1 min read
Cat litter manufacturer Tolsa UK reports success with its enterprise mobility rollout, aimed at improving customer service by tracking goods from manufacturing into and out of its warehouses.
Simon Pattison, country manager for Tolsa UK, explains that the system was needed to upgrade its existing warehouse and despatch process.
"We needed an enterprise mobility solution to meet the increasing demand from our key customers across Europe, for ASNs [advanced shipping notification] via EDI," he explains.
In order to capture the data, Pattison says Tolsa needed to apply pallet labels on all of its manufactured goods, in readiness for scanning as the pallets are despatched. Data held on the barcode (order number, product code, quantity of pallets and delivery time) would then be used to generate the ASN.
"As well as improving our customer service by meeting requirements for advanced notice of pending deliveries from us, the data captured for an ASN can be leveraged by Tolsa," adds Pattison.
"The information will enable us to more effectively manage and balance our stock levels. We will also be able to track goods as they move from our manufacturing plant to our warehouses in Lincolnshire," he adds.
The system has been developed by The Barcode Warehouse, which Pattison says was selected for its ability to offer a one-stop-shop solution. The firm also went for Motorola MC9090-G rugged mobile computer running Windows Mobile 5.0, supported by a Motorola wireless infrastructure – also configured and integrated by The Barcode Warehouse.
Pattison says that choosing the MC9090-G was all about its long range scanning capability, which enables Tolsa's warehouse operatives to scan pallets on and off fork lift trucks. He also cites its easy integration with Tolsa's WMS system and the support and maintenance offered by Motorola and The Barcode Warehouse.
"The Barcode Warehouse has proved to be the right choice for Tolsa," he comments. "It offered a high level of assistance during selection, supporting a trial with MC9090-G loan units, installed our wireless infrastructure which helped us to deploy the new solution very quickly and effectively, and its proximity to our warehouses is key for the support it offers."
