BY PETER BRADLEY, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
PRINTING AND LABELING
materialhandlingupdate
DCs have a head-spinning
array of choices when it
comes to printing and
labeling systems. Here
are some tips for
picking the right
device for your
operation.
What to think about
when you think about
printing
PRINTING AND LABELING SYSTEMS IN THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER CAN SOMETIMES
cause indigestion for managers. They can be a bottleneck in the process of getting goods out the
door. Labeling errors can cause shipping mistakes that result in unhappy customers and possible chargebacks. Downtime can bring a whole line to a halt. But nothing can go out the door
without a label.
Whether an operation uses inline print-and-apply systems or portable printing tools, the
devices’ speed, accuracy, and uptime are crucial to DC productivity. What’s important when
buying a system is to determine what solution would work best for your operation. Here are a
few things to consider in selecting a printing and labeling system:
Think about people first. Larry Boroff, director of automation systems engineering for
Forte, emphasizes that the technical capabilities of staff to maintain and program the devices
should be an important consideration in which one you select. Some systems, particularly automated print-and-apply systems, require a fair amount of in-house expertise.
A veteran of Amazon, where he was an operations engineer, Boroff has a fine appreciation for
the need for fast and reliable printing. He recalls that at Amazon, “we looked at both manual
and automated [printing] systems. One of the drivers for that was what the workforce looked
like.” That applies as well for the clients he now works with at Forte, a supply chain consulting
organization. “If a customer does not have a semi-skilled workforce that can correct any issues P H
OTO
S
C
O
U
RT
E
S
Y
O
F
I
NT
E
R
M
E
C
