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Palletline introduces bespoke scanning for freight transparency

Palletline has announced another industry first with the introduction of innovative combined scanning and image capture equipment at its three hubs and throughout its network of member companies.

This £500,000 investment underlines the organisation’s commitment to the implementation of ground breaking technology to drive speed and efficiency across the network.

The bespoke equipment represents a new standard for the pallet network industry, and is already injecting added efficiency into the process, speeding up the quality control procedures and increasing freight visibility as well as contributing towards automating the claims procedure.

Continuing Palletline’s drive towards implementing the most efficient processes in the industry, the company’s IT development team was determined to achieve both scanning and discrepancy photography, using one single scanning unit.

With no other network currently achieving this level of integration, high performance units combining a colour image scanner with a high resolution camera did not exist on the market.

Palletline commissioned UK technology partner Belgravium to create a unit, bringing together the best components with the required performance levels. As a result, scanning and discrepancy reporting is now possible from just one screen, allowing all information to be uploaded directly into the shipment file. The 2 mega pixel camera within the unit captures quality, colour images that are available on our web based system within moments.

The resultant time savings are dramatic. Using conventional equipment, the scanning process took Palletline 3-5 minutes per trunk vehicle, which could more than double to 10 minutes if a discrepancy had to be documented and photographed.

Using the new equipment, scanning time is now down to 3 minutes including discrepancy reporting, improving the overall efficiency of the hub and our depots by speeding up the process and eliminating a significant number of man hours every day.

The technology actually enables faster scanning however the important human element of the process – completing a full visual quality check of each pallet at every transit stage – could then be compromised. As a result, scanning speed has been limited to ensure that Palletline are able to continue to offer an exceptional quality control process to its members and their customers.

In addition, with all information uploaded into individual shipment files, the process is both improved and simplified, providing instant information on the state of freight and speeding up resolution of any disputes.

The benefits to customers are immense, with visual evidence of any freight presentation or delivery issues immediately available, assisting to determine liability and minimise claim costs.

Mark Pulford, Operations Director commented “This new unit will help us exceed our already industry leading scanning levels. With no comparable hand held scanner and colour image device in use within our industry, this is another benefit we offer to our Members and their Customers.”

Helen Dickinson, General Manager for IT, said “We have chosen Belgravium as our technology partner as they were able to demonstrate the calibre of their equipment and have created a flexible, bespoke unit which meets our requirements both for now and the future. Every pallet is important to us and this system enables us to record the life of that pallet throughout our network. This is a key aspect of our IT and innovation strategy which will continue to see Palletline as the market leaders.”

www.palletline.com

Exhibitions

February 2010 - Deutsche Messe postpones premiere of industrial tradeshows in Dubai until 2011
Deutsche Messe is postponing the industrial trade fairs CeMAT MIDDLE EAST, Industrial Automation (IA) MIDDLE EAST and Motion, Drive & Automation (MDA) MIDDLE EAST – all originally schedu led to take place in February 2010 – until 2011.


March 2010 - Stuttgart, 2nd - 4th March
From 2 to 4 March 2010 LogiMAT, the International Trade Fair for Distribution, Materials Handling and Information Flow, is taking place in Stuttgart accompanied by an extensive fringe programme. It is the eighth edition of this annual meeting point for the intralogistics industry – the largest in Europe.


March 2010 - France, 23rd - 26th
Transport and Logistics services, Supply chain Management, Logistics Infrastructures, Logistics Real Estate, Technologies and Information Systems, Materials Handling and Warehouse equipment…


April 2010 - Cleveland, 26th - 29th
NA 2010 (The 2010 Material Handling & Logistics Show and Conference) will bring together manufacturers, consultants, third party logistics providers, publishers and system integrators to demonstrate their equipment, systems and services to tens of thousands of industry professionals from around the world, seeking productivity solutions.


May 2010 - Barcelona, 25th - 28th
Barcelona, 23 November 2009. As part of its constant desire to improve the service it offers exhibitors and visitors as well as provide a bigger and better service, the International Logistics and Material Handling Exhibition (SIL) has updated its website.


June 2010 - Guangzhou, China, 2nd - 4th
In China, cold chain logistics industry is in its infancy, While cold chain market share on both sides of the Atlantic has already reached 80 - 90%-that in Europe and Russia is 50%, in developing countries in general is 10 - 20%-only 20% of freight moving in China goes refrigerated.


November 2010 - Eindhoven, 10th - 11th
It is with justified pride that Bureau Bosman BV is introducing Groothandel & Logistiek’s new trade show name. From now on, Groothandel & Logistiek will be called: Bedrijf en Logistiek, the trade show for goods-in, storage and goods-out. The eleventh edition will take place on November 10 and 11 in the Exhibition Building in Eindhoven.  


November 2010 - Birmingham, 16th - 19th
Quartz Publishing & Exhibitions Ltd, organiser of the International Materials Handling Exhibition (IMHX), has announced that – in response to exhibitor requests – the show’s dates have moved from March to November next year.


Case Studies

The Armchair Shoppers
Home shopping and multi-channel retailing is an industry where the customer often seems tantalisingly elusive. That’s why, every year since 2000, the UK’s Royal Mail has commissioned the ‘Home Shopping Tracker Study’ to estimate the size of the UK market, both in terms of customers and spend.

Norway’s first gateway
The Norwegian port of Oslo has long been a focal point for the country’s trade, industry and population. Boasting a highly-agile and skilled logistics labour force the Port is on the cusp of a new era with major expansion and improvement.

A heartland pours open
Ideally located at the heart of western Europe, the Moselle Department, in the Lorraine region of France, offers many advantages to companies wishing to have a strategically located distribution platform.

Movement made easy
Elsewhere in the world of material handling expertise the Dutch logistics service provider Partner Logistics Europe B.V. has been busy in West Flanders. The company recently put into operation probably the largest ‘deep freeze chest’ in Belgium.

Forklift manufacturers react to energy crisis
“Thanks to their inherent high build quality Flexis are straightforward to maintain and our distributors are able to make healthy margins on used Flexis that they put back into the market on contract hire with maintenance packages.”

Legislation set to change
Highly automated warehouses make strict demands on personnel safety. Jarno Palo, of safety specialist Gunnebo Troax AB believes that health and safety legislation and European norms, such as the Machinery Directive, have a huge influence in the hub, covering everything from conveyors to cranes and industrial robots.

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