BY SUSAN K. LACEFIELD, EDITOR AT LARGE
CUBING AND WEIGHING SYSTEMS
Material Handling
IF IT SEEMS YOU’RE HEARING A LOT ABOUT WAREhouse dimensioning systems these days, there’s a reason for
that. Now more than ever, warehouses and DCs need to
have accurate measurements for all of their products and
shipments. For parcel shipments, that dimensional data is
crucial for accurately calculating shipping costs and choosing the right carton. For pallet shipments, dimensional data
can help users calculate exactly how much room a load will
occupy in the trailer. And inside the DC, accurate dimensional data makes it easier to slot
items and optimize the facility’s
storage space.
While you could send an employee out with a tape measure to
record the height, width, and length
of each product or carton, that
approach is time-consuming and
error-prone. One small improvement is using an electronic tape
measure (e-tape) or digital tape
measure that will take and record
the measurements for you. But the
more products your distribution
center deals with, the more sense
it makes to use automated dimensioning equipment that requires
minimal human involvement.
Before you begin looking at
dimensioning equipment, howev-
er, it helps to know what your
options are and which types of units work best for what
applications. In general, dimensioning systems fall into
two major categories: systems that are designed to measure
pallet loads, and systems designed to measure parcels or
individual items. That second category—parcel dimen-
sioners—can be further broken down into two types of
units: static tabletop dimensioning systems and in-motion
systems that measure items as they pass through a tunnel.
What follows is a look at these systems as well as some of
their strengths and weaknesses.
DIMENSIONING FOR THE WHOLE PALLET
As its name suggests, a pallet dimensioning system is used
to calculate the exact volume of a pallet load before it’s
placed in a trailer. Typically, these systems are mounted
on the ceiling or on a column,
says Jason Wiley, business manager
of Mettler Toledo, which makes
dimensioning equipment. Under
this method, the pallet to be measured is transported via forklift to
the system, where it is scanned and
dimensioned.
Pallet dimensioners are a good
fit for trucking companies looking
to calculate shipping charges based
on the exact volume a load takes
up in the truck, not the overall
dimensions of a standard pallet,
Headley warns, however, that not all pallet dimensioners
are created equal. “Do your homework before choosing a
vendor,” he says. “Make sure they have the technology to
‘see’ all five sides of the load, can properly scan the entire
load for bulges or bumps, and have a software interface that
Which dimensioning
system is right for you?
Dimensioning systems come in an array of types and sizes these days.
Here are some guidelines for figuring out what’s the best fit for your operation.
