5 Ways To Use Rugged, Long-Range Scanners In Warehouses

Learn how outfitting your team with long-range scanners will increase efficiency, improve accuracy, and ultimately save you money.

Malfunctioning and issue-laden scanners can wreak havoc on warehouse productivity. If your team’s scanners are constantly running low on battery, for instance, the time it takes for them to seek out and change the batteries before getting back to the task at handsets timelines back. Now imagine that occurring to multiple workers throughout the day. It all adds up. And this is just one of the ways in which a poorly functioning scanner can negatively impact warehouse work rates.

Not only can old scanning technology often fail to scan barcodes, which slows down workflow, but also piles on costs for frequent replacements and repairs. This harms your bottom line, as well as your ability to provide quality customer service, satisfaction, and retention.

Rugged, long-range barcode scanners, like the DS3600 Series Ultra-Rugged Scanner from Zebra, provide solutions for common warehouse-related issues associated with faulty scanners, from simply being more reliable to create more mobility for workers in general. Regardless of whether team members are out on the dock, in freezing conditions, or in the warehouse aisles, rugged, long-range scanners get the job done.

Benefits of Rugged, Long-Range Scanners

  • Many models are optimized to scan various types of barcodes, meaning workers can rely on one scanner for multiple applications.
  • Ultra-rugged designs make for nearly indestructible scanners that won’t falter in the harshest of conditions.
  • Rugged scanners like the DS3600 leverage Bluetooth technology freeing workers from cords.
  • Devices are made to withstand time and environments so you can spend less time coordinating maintenance and repairs.
  • Increased productivity and accuracy will delight customers.

Rugged, Long-Range Barcode Scanners 5 Ways

  1. Scanning Barcodes

While this may be the most obvious application of a long-range scanner, it will also be your most useful. Counting on reliable long-range scanners means standing in one place and scanning various types of barcodes from different distances and angles. It also means optimal barcode scanning capabilities even when the barcode has undergone damage, smudges, or is covered by shrink wrap. Advanced algorithms enable the first-time capture of imperfect barcodes. Scanners like the Zebra DS3600 offer 30% more working range than competitive devices.

  1. Capturing Additional Information

The new ultra-rugged and long-range scanners have the ability to capture more than just barcodes, but important details like signatures, photos, and documents, too. This allows warehouse managers to streamline processes, improving efficiency and negating the need for multiple pieces of equipment when one can handle it all.

These capabilities are especially beneficial in terms of improving customer service. If a customer returns an item, for example, technologically advanced scanners can capture and verify the necessary documentation, enabling quick refunds.

  1. Managing Inventory

Inventory management can be a tedious process, especially when inventory is kept in harsh environments like freezers or outside on docks. Rugged scanners make it easier to manage inventory than ever before on many levels. It captures barcodes in hard-to-reach places and when labels have been damaged—all very quickly. Such easy capture makes for improved accuracy and, in the long term, money saved.

  1. Mounting to forklifts

Most modern, long-range scanners can be mounted to forklifts, as well as removed from their mounts for optimal mobility. Traditionally, forklifts can be seen as an obstacle to mobility, but rugged, long-range scanners allow operators to capture barcodes and other important information whether they’re sitting in the forklift or stepping off. With Bluetooth, operators also don’t have to worry about interference from WiFi.

  1. Cold, Wet, Dusty Environments

Fragile scanners have no place in warehouses. Dropping a scanner on concrete, or exposing it to dust and water, isn’t just a possibility, it’s practically inevitable. Ultra-rugged scanners are designed to handle any environment, from extreme temps, spilled coffee, drops to concrete floors, exposure to dust, or even submersion in water.

If you’re looking for rugged and long-range scanners to outfit your warehouse workers, contact us for guidance on determining the best models and accessories.

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