Background
Allied Express is the largest, independently owned courier and express freight company in Australia. It has a wide logistics network to handle nationwide distribution services fast and accurate. Distribution centers sit in the middle of logistics process. To ensure the logistics network functions well, the company need to modernize its distribution center operations.
Challenges
Solution
Every shipment is labelled with a unique 2D barcode. Distribution center workers use Chainway handheld computers C4050 to automatically validate loads from receiving to packing. From distribution center’s pallet to customer’s door, every step of one order is recorded and updated to the backend logistics management server with a scan of the barcode.
Effects
Allied Express is the largest, independently owned courier and express freight company in Australia. It has a wide logistics network to handle nationwide distribution services fast and accurate. Distribution centers sit in the middle of logistics process. To ensure the logistics network functions well, the company need to modernize its distribution center operations.
Challenges
- Workers in distribution centers cannot access to the real-time status of one shipment in order to get prepared to the pickup or to the delivery.
- Lack of real-time logistics data sharing leads to impossibility of tracing back to the exact step where things go wrong when incidents occur.
- Manual operations in receiving, picking, put-away and packing is labor-intensive and time-consuming.
Solution
Every shipment is labelled with a unique 2D barcode. Distribution center workers use Chainway handheld computers C4050 to automatically validate loads from receiving to packing. From distribution center’s pallet to customer’s door, every step of one order is recorded and updated to the backend logistics management server with a scan of the barcode.
Effects
- A pallet of 2D barcode-tagged cases can be identified through Chainway handheld computers. The read data provides information for an advance ship notice.
- Every scan transmits the read data to the back-end server wirelessly (3G/Wi-Fi). Operators can view the status of one shipment in real time and take quick actions if any incidents occur.
- The accuracy and efficiency of distribution center operations have been improved, and a modern and positive corporate image has been enhanced.
