TMS - Bar Code & Data Collection

Data Collection systems are a combination of specialized software and hardware designed to collect data about some aspect of your business.

Data - such as raw materials available for production or number of units shipped - is entered into data collection terminals or handheld computers and then transferred to a central database. Desktop applications accessing that data can give real-time views, pre-designed and ad-hoc reports, and even email notifications of important events.

By making data collection terminals available in areas such as shipping and receiving, along manufacturing lines, or in packaging areas, employees are able to enter data into the system.

Workers can also use portable data collection terminals or handheld computers to perform such tasks as inventory checks or pulling items for a customer's order.

That data is immediately available through your desktop application in displays and reports that your business needs to excel in today's fast paced market.

The traditional method of marking goods is by applying a bar coded label to the item, the packaging or the pallet. The bar code is scanned and the encoded data is recorded. Data can also be collected by the use of RFID, or Radio Frequency Identification, tags.
RFID tags are similar to bar code labels in that they contain information. RFID tags, however, can hold more information and the information can be modified (when using read/write tags). And, RFID readers do not need a direct line of sight to read the tags, which make RFID tags an excellent choice for automated production lines.
Click Here for a look at some of the TMS data collection systems in use today.