BY DAVID MALONEY, SENIOR EDITOR
CUBING AND WEIGHING
materialhandlingupdate
Sizing up your
shipments
Gathering dimensional data has traditionally
helped with slotting, picking, and order
filling. But there are applications on the
shipping side as well.
CAN SHIPPERS WHO DETERMINE FOR
themselves the weight and dimensions of
every shipment or load they tender save
on freight charges? The short answer is
maybe. A lot depends on the accuracy of
the information that is gathered and how it is
applied.
Traditionally, dimensioning systems have been used for
various applications in the warehouse. For example, incoming products are routinely measured as they are received.
Knowing how big a product is and how much it weighs
allows for better utilization of storage space. It also helps
with the slotting of products in picking areas. Managers
need accurate dimensional data to make sure they’ve allocated enough room for a product to assure adequate
stock—but not so much that it increases the distance
between products within the pick zones.
But it also turns out that the same dimensional information collected for storing and slotting can be used in shipping applications. The experiences of two companies,
Monoprice and Interline Brands, are testament to that.
PHOTO COURTESY OF QUANTRONIX CORP.
NO MORE ‘FAT FINGER’ ERRORS
Monoprice is a direct-to-consumer retailer of electronic
products. Its distribution center in Rancho Cucamonga,
Calif., utilizes a CubiScan 125 dimensioning system manufactured by Quantronix Corp.
The CubiScan uses lasers to measure the length, width,
and height of each product when it is first introduced into
the facility. It also
weighs each item as it is measured.
