Challenge

A leader in the display industry—manufacturing video sytems and digital signage—approached Coridian for a solution to challenges tracking their Work in Process (WIP). Dealing with a wide variety of components that are manufactured, stored, and assembled on-site, they use duplicate labels in order to match components successfully. Prior to implementing Coridian’s solution, they were printing large batches of labels in duplicate, matching them by hand, and hand-applying them to the components. When the wrong duplicate label was selected, the mismatch could take up to 5 manhours to rectify—increasing labor costs, interrupting workflow, and affecting inventory counts and traceability.

Solution

Coridian completed a full assessment of the manufacturer’s processes and needs, then developed a unique solution, including writing a custom scan and print application utilizing Zebra’s ZBI-Developer programming. Coridian’s in-house Application Specialist designed the software to allow label data to transfer directly from scanner to printer, eliminating the need for a PC at every station. This also eliminated the need for manual data input and printing large batches of labels to be matched by hand, effectively reducing the opportunities for mismatches.

Results

This display manufacturer has implemented Coridian’s solution to at least 12 of their printers, removing multiple steps from their process—reducing production time by 10-15 seconds per label. As a large company with hundreds of printers, thousands of labels are produced every day. Coridian’s ability to understand their unique needs and produce an efficient solution in-house saved the manufacturer a significant number of man-hours spent correcting errors and improved traceability within their WIP. The customer was able to improve processes, reduce production time, upgrade hardware, and consolidate suppliers—now coming to Coridian for their hardware, consumables, and professional services needs.

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