Executive Summary
The Bellevue Manufacturing Company specializes in manufacturing automobile parts, such as bumpers, luggage carriers, gasoline gauges and windshield wipers. Over time they have expanded into manufacturing new and innovative products while opening new facilities across North America. Delivering their products hinges on the company flawlessly executing its manufacturing as well as its shipping, receiving, and inventory control operations.
The Business Challenge
Bellevue Manufacturing was opening new facilities and needed a barcode software that could take advantage of a centralized template storage with revision control, as well as integrate with their existing ERP system. Lastly, because of their multiple locations, they wanted a software that could be licensed per printer and still communicate over IP. Their operations team is heavily dependent on the ability to design and print various label designs and place the barcode labels on the correct items.
Bellevue Manufacturing also required a reliable, compact and light industrial barcode printer that made it easy for the user to replace printheads and platen rollers. Due to the various label sizes, they also needed something that supported broad media compatibility. Having the right barcode printer and software combination was integral in increasing productivity and cutting down on wasted time while streamlining their warehouse management process.
The Solution
OCR Canada developed a solution that optimized productivity while creating an environment that allows for label template sharing. Each location was to be equipped with its own Honeywell PD43 light industrial barcode printer, which met the customer’s requirement for compactness, ease-of-use, and flexibility. After testing one unit at one location, the printer operators loved the intuitive, color display interface which simplified setup and maintenance of the printer.
The next challenge was identifying the right barcode software to meet the customer’s requirements. For OCR Canada it was easy because Seagull Scientific’s Enterprise Automation barcode label software had everything the customer needed plus more. The software’s 2016 edition comes equipped with automatic printing in response to IP communication, seamless integration with SAP/Oracle, centralized system management/template storage, full SDK support, and a print portal app for printing from any iOS/Android device control.
Bellevue Manufacturing worked with OCR Canada to get a 30-day free trial and their IT team was even more impressed when they learned of the software’s newest administration console capability. The console includes the features of the previous security center, enabling administrators to not only control security but also manage integrations, monitor Bartender-related services and administer the Bartender System Database from the same application. Furthermore, the “Librarian” feature allows large groups of designers, administrators and other users to cooperatively and securely manage the storage and revision of label formats, which was essential since multiple people were designing various labels.
For additional peace of mind and to ensure no interruptions to Company activities, OCR Canada also provided the company with a full comprehensive service contract to cover all printers in case of damage, while also providing Tier I & II technical support for 5 years.
The Benefits
Bellevue Manufacturing has seen an immediate increase in productivity. They are pleased with the functionality of Seagull Scientific’s Enterprise Automation software, specifically the ability to share templates amongst multiple locations and the administration console, which enables administrators to not only control security but also manage integrations from the same application. Their IT team also had a seamless way to integrate the newest version with their back-end ERP system, which saved them a lot of time, resources, and money.
The Future
The OCR Canada solution, which helped get this manufacturing company’s new facility up and running will be Bellevue’s first choice when a new solution or facility opens up.