Solution:  EMP Tech Group Custom User-Interface (UI) integrating BarTender with product database, Fanless Industrial PC, Touchscreen Display, Wireless Client Bridge, Zebra 220xi4 with long label presenter, EMPTG Stack Light, Mobile Cart with UPS and retractable power cord.

Story:  In 2012, an insulation manufacturing company was exploring methods to improve efficiency and decrease errors in product labeling on their manufacturing lines.  Their method of labeling was very labor intensive, and involved workers manually peeling and applying labels from pre-printed rolls onto product packaging.  The company manufactures a wide range of insulation products spanning from commercial, residential, mechanical, and retail applications.  Due to the diversity of their products, workers would sometimes inaccurately label the product packaging as they were preparing for a production run.  Production schedules would also change, which stalled the line until new packaging could be labeled.  As a solution, EMPTG developed a mobile print station that is designed specifically to allow workers to print any of their product labels on-demand from the point-of-application.  Since using these mobile print stations, the company has been able to greatly improve efficiency, reduce waste, increase product label accuracy, and ease of label application.  Based on the success of this project, EMPTG is looking forward to a continuing partnership that will focus on providing custom-tailored solutions for process improvement.

Technology:  Using the touchscreen monitor and EMPTG’s UI, workers select which product they need to create a label for.  The computer provides the label template that corresponds to the chosen product in the database and sends the information to the Zebra 220xi4 for printing.  This particular printer was chosen for its reliability, speed, and capability to print labels of varying widths up to 8.5” wide.  EMPTG also installed a long label presenter to prevent longer labels from curling or wrapping back on themselves.  A unique and noticeable feature of this cart is the printer stack light.  The stack light provides quick and clear feedback of the 220xi4’s status from a distance.  Green indicates the unit is powered on and ready to print.  Yellow provides notification for warnings such as maintenance alerts.  Red signals that the printer has stopped printing due to an error from being out of labels, ribbon, or maintenance that requires immediate attention.  For this particular application, the customer opted to include a wireless bridge which allows them the flexibility to establish a wired or wireless network connection.  Another intelligent design feature of the cart is the uninterruptible power supply (UPS).  With the UPS, workers can unplug the print station, move it to another outlet, and resume working immediately.

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EMP Technical Group is excited to announce a new partnership with DAP Technologies.  To further enhance our product offering, EMP will be carrying the entire line-up of DAP rugged Windows 7 Embedded Tablets.  With models suited to any application ranging from within the four walls to field work, EMP will help you select the rugged tablet that is the best fit for your needs.  All of the tablets come standard with Windows 7 Professional with embedded options, which allows them to be seamlessly integrated into most enterprise environments.

Warehouse/Logistics Applications

In operations where every second counts toward the bottom line and improved efficiency is the top consideration, the flexibility of mobile tablets on the warehouse floor offers a distinct advantage over other form factors.  With quick-release vehicle mounts, operators can remove the tablet and use it as a 1D or 1D/2D handheld scanner on the floor, ensuring accurate data collection and making it superior to a fixed-mount computer for data entry and picking functions.

Field Service

Equipping your field workers with the power of tablet computers means they spend more time responding to customer needs and less time in the office and making repeat trips.  Better productivity, speed of service, and efficiency improve customer satisfaction and retention.  Integrated GPS gives workers access to route guidance, and allows you to make sure they’re staying on task.

Trucking/Transportation Applications

Rugged tablets put mobile technology in your drivers’ hands to help maximize your fleet’s operational efficiency.  Minimize data entry errors and reduce paperwork by scanning barcodes to manage inventory and track deliveries with an integrated 1D or 1D/2D scanner.  And rely on Gobi 3000 to stay in constant communication with the home office with truly mobile broadband that works on virtually any carrier network.

Please contact the EMP Tech Group for more information on this exciting development.

EMP Tech Group
www.emptechgroup.com
sales@emptechgroup.com
317-776-6700

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The EMP Technical Group hosted a half-day seminar today covering the basics of bar code symbologies, 2D bar codes, and the latest in bar code reader technology.  We would like to thank  all of those who were in attendance, and our partners from Motorola and Cognex for presenting.  If you would like to review the topics covered, we have included the slide decks below.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback about the event.

For those who attended, please complete this brief online survey to let us know how we did.                                              

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One of our customers was looking for some guidance on how to label their warehouse.  The following are some of the typical questions we encounter in this situation:

• How big does the label need to be?
• What label material should we use?
• What read range should we expect?

Manufacturer specifications are helpful guidelines, but we prefer to supplement them with real-world data whenever possible.  Knowing that the objective was to scan barcodes on tall warehouse racks up to 30’-40’ away, we chose the Motorola Lorax Long Range Laser and a few low density (wide bars = large barcode) barcode samples to test.  Since one of the key variables that determines the maximum read range is the contrast between the bars and spaces, we tested on both white and retroreflective labels.  The data below reflect the results we experienced in our shop.  We also recommended to our customer that we perform similar testing in their environment before labeling their entire warehouse.

White Paper

• 50mil C39 – 3” x 8” label – 11’ max scan distance
• 75mil C39 – 3” x 12” label – 17’ max scan distance
• 100mil C39 – 3” x 14” label – 19’ max scan distance

Retroreflective Label

• 50mil C39 – 3” x 8” label – 26’ max scan distance
• 75mil C39 – 3” x 12” label - 40’ max scan distance
• 100mil C39 – 3” x 14” label – 54’ max scan distance

Results Chart

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Barcodes Used for Testing

Special thanks to Cory Sulfridge and Nick Hawkins of EMP Technical Group for performing this test.   

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Challenge: Ensuring accuracy of products being picked for final packaging of a multi-item medical device kit.

Solution: Custom MCL-based Software Application combined with a cordless bar code scanner (Motorola MT2070) paired to a mobile wireless printer (Zebra QLn220).

Story: A long-time customer of EMP Technical Group (EMPTG) was looking for a solution to improve the accuracy of their product picking.  Previously, the customer was not using any form of software or hardware to verify that the correct items were being picked.  The kits being assembled at this particular location include numerous components, making the potential high for human error during the fulfillment process.

To solve this challenge, the EMP Technical Group developed a straightforward, user-friendly, and cost-effective parts verification solution. Using MCL-Collection software, EMPTG created a custom data capture and verification application to run on a mobile device (in this case, the Motorola MT2070).  When picking an item, the user must first scan the bar code (master) from the fulfillment paperwork, followed by the bar code on the item (item).  The master and item codes are similar but not identical, which prevents a user from circumventing the system by scanning the same code twice.  Scanning an incorrect item code results in an error message and no label is printed.  When the software recognizes a positive match between the item code and the master code, a label is printed.  The user then places the label on the fulfillment paperwork to verify that they selected the correct item.

Developing this application with MCL-Collect software provided numerous benefits.  The primary benefit was a drastic reduction in the length of time from development to deployment.  In this particular case, the time from development to deployment was approximately 2 weeks.  By shortening the development cycle, the cost-savings to the customer were significant.  Using MCL also allows for easy application modification in the future, which allows it to change with the customer’s evolving needs.  From a user perspective, the application is designed to be very intuitive and user-friendly.  One of the most notable user-oriented features is how simple it is to pair the scanner with the printer via Bluetooth.  To connect the two devices, the user selects “Pair” on the MT2070, and scans the corresponding bar code on the printer.  

By combining affordable hardware offerings with an intelligent and cost-effective software application, EMPTG was able to provide a complete solution that is a giant step forward in process improvement for the customer.

For more information about this application, please contact EMP Technical Group at
317-776-6700 or send us a message.

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Cognex Corporation, an industry leading supplier of machine vision products and camera based bar code readers has been enhancing their offering of bar code scanning products over the last few years.  What began as few fixed mount readers has evolved into an entire family of robust bar code readers.  These fixed mount scanners join a family of hand held scanners for reading direct part marks.

The Cognex lineup now includes the new DataMan 503 high end conveyor line scanner and the DataMan 50/60 low cost, fixed scanners.  All have the ability to read both 1D and 2D bar codes in either stationary or moving applications.  The benefit of camera technology is not only the ability to read 2D bar codes, but to read any bar code, in any orientation and even damaged codes.

When Cognex was looking for a bar code integrator to move up to this new ID Automation Solution Provider (ASP) level, the EMP Tech Group was the natural choice.  With trained sales and service personnel and several applications under their belt already, EMP Tech Group steps into this new role with ease.

For some time now, the industry has been shifting from laser based line scanners, to camera based scanners for hand held bar code applications.  With Cognex‘s advanced, camera based readers, that migration will now start in earnest in the fixed mount reading industry.  Traditional laser applications such as embedded machine scanners and high speed conveyor line scanning will benefit greatly from the transition to camera based scanners.

For more information about this exciting development, please contact EMP Technical Group at            317-776-6700 or send us a message.

-EMP Tech Group

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