Trying to integrate barcode scanning for order picking in a very outdated small company?
The company that I am at is fairly small and everything overall is fairly outdated. As if whatever was set up 20 years ago is still what is being used today. I would also say that 80% of the company's issues are tied up in inventory, even though the company…
The company that I am at is fairly small and everything overall is fairly outdated. As if whatever was set up 20 years ago is still what is being used today. I would also say that 80% of the company's issues are tied up in inventory, even though the company only has ~500 items and does less than 400 items in orders a day. The cases and inner packs already have barcodes, so I was going to try and integrate a barcode scanning system into the order picking process to reduce our inventory issues. I am trying to look for the most straight forward, low cost/effort process right now. 1 - because the budget is almost non existent, but also 2 - mainly to see if I can use it as a way to convince the warehouse guys that this is a better way than them just trying to remember where everything is in their heads. My low cost solution right now is to simply use: Wireless barcode scanner that connects to excel (is it possible to have a scanner display the excel workbook while scanning so the pickers can see the items being scanned and the progress?) Print out a barcode that will display the order # when scanned Pickers scan the barcode for the order # and then scan the items picked I can then use excel to compare it to the item list to see if the correct items were picked for the associated order # The one issue I can think of off the top of my head right now with this is there would be no way for the picker to cancel out a scan. The pickers are not tech saavy at all, so if there was a way for them to cancel it out, it would almost have to be fool proof and not involve them going to a computer. Looking for some guidance on those who might have been in a similar situation and what your solution was.
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That's not a bad possible solution if there's nothing else better. I can make a barcode that simply reads "cancel" like you are saying that they can scan. Thinking about it some more, which I've added to my OP now, is that I would probably ideally need a scanner that has a display on it that can display the excel sheet/workbook so that the pickers can see their physical process and know what they had just scanned. However, from what I have found, I haven't found that to be an option with scanners. It sounds like it should be possible though, but maybe I just haven't searched for the correct things.
I'll have to look in to that for the future. However, at the moment, all orders are still done basically with pen and paper
I'll have to look in to n8n
Sorry, I should’ve said escape sequence - not the word “cancel”, that could possibly insert a word into your spreadsheet - depending on the scanner, it might be something like \r or ~013
Holy shit. You guys are cleaning the windows on a sinking Titanic. You really need to address more fundamental issues in the fact that you’re using paper. Trying to jump from paper to automation is absolutely nuts. I can’t even imagine trying to enter a bunch of addresses into shipping software manually and not have that turned into an absolute shit show of errors. You’re solving the wrong problem. Go to the root.
The way the order is picked right now is the picker goes around the warehouse to pull the order. Having a big screen would be nice for them to easily see and edit things if needed. However, I feel like I would have to integrate that into some sort of picking cart for them to use. I have to convince these guys who have created their own mental system for the last 30 plus years that they should give this new method a try and that it will ultimately be faster and better
I appreciate the input. This is definitely tricky to get people on board. We only have two pickers. I will most likely do what you suggested, which is to try and implement it as a silent supplement and not a replacement. Maybe only after they see it work will they start to see it as a benefit or a shortcut to how they were doing it before. There are a lot of things that they do right now that slows the process down and adds more work. I just have to figure out a way to trick them in a way to get them to give these things a try. I'll have to learn why or how the decide to do it the way that they do it first and then go from there. I will probably have to find a sub on Reddit where warehouse guys post to get some ideas too
Unfortunately, the reality is that I can't just go and tell them what to do. I have to help them to help me. If I go and just tell them, there will be push back and it just won't work. Maybe it has worked in your situations, but it won't work in this. The pallet racks already have labels. No barcode or qr codes on there yet though, since the barcode system hasn't been implemented yet, but that would definitely be one of the first steps. If both pickers are sick, nothing gets done that day as far as order picking goes. It's a very small operation.
I wasn't aware you could integrate a barcode scanner like that to a webpage. Are there any key words I can use to find out more?
r/Warehousing and r/InventoryManagement are both active and have people who've done exactly this kind of paper-to-scanner transition on small teams, worth a look. But honestly, with only two pickers, the more useful thing to do first might be sitting down with each of them separately (not together) and asking them to walk you through how they currently find and pick an item, start to finish, including the workarounds nobody wrote down. You'll usually find one or two specific pain points in that walkthrough that the scanner can visibly fix on day one - that's worth more for buy-in than any general advice from strangers, because it's their exact problem being solved instead of a generic pitch.
If you want to stick with Excel, you can create a command barcode for DELETE LAST SCAN mapped to a simple VBA macro. Scanning that barcode automatically clears the last row, so pickers never touch the computer. Another cheap option is using Google Forms or a basic mobile sheet app with large buttons. Full disclosure: I'm the developer of StoxV, which handles mobile barcode scanning and inventory tracking if you decide to try a dedicated app. However, if budget is strictly zero, the command barcode trick in Excel is your best bet to keep things foolproof for the warehouse team.
They are still using paper and pen to process actual orders. I think a consideration of using n8n is well outside what they’re going to be able to do.
See if you can make a “cancel” barcode.
A number of shipping software applications already feature dysfunctionality built-in. My suggestion is to not reinvent the wheel and see if existing shipping software can already do what you need. The only major factor is integrating with your front end website or order system.
Use n8n and tie your old systems with new ones…simple
Keep the scanner dumb and put the live checklist on a cheap tablet or existing PC near the picking area. Let every scan write an order and item event, then use separate undo and wrong-item barcodes that create visible exception rows instead of deleting history. Pilot it on one high-error order type for a week; the signal you need is fewer mispicks and less rework, not whether the spreadsheet looks polished.
The technical side of this is very solvable (the undo-scan and exception-row ideas here are good). The harder part is the one you already flagged: getting guys who've run this warehouse from memory for decades to trust a scanner over their own head. A few things that actually moved the needle when I've seen this transition happen: Don't roll it out as a replacement for their system, roll it out as a safety net that catches the mistakes their memory makes when they're tired, rushed, or someone new is filling in. Frame it as "for when you're covering for Dave" not "instead of how you do it." Pick your pilot person carefully - not the most tech-comfortable guy, the most respected one. If the guy the others go to when something's wrong starts using it and says it didn't slow him down, that does more than any manager announcement. Make the failure mode visible and cheap. If a mis-scan just creates a flagged exception row instead of silently corrupting the count (like the other comment suggested), they see it catch a real mistake within the first week, and that's the moment it clicks for them - not the demo, the first time it saves them from being blamed for a pick error that wasn't actually theirs. The tech will work. Whether it sticks depends entirely on whether the first two weeks make their job easier or feel like being watched.
If you are in a position of authority then stop worrying about what the workers are going to think. If you are responsible for enhancing the business productivity then go forward and get it done. A large format label maker, or ordering large print labels for warehouse rows and shelves is a good start. Those can and should have barcodes, or now QR codes, on the labels. Point is this: if one or both of the pickers are sick then how does the work get done? THAT is the focus = how do we operate without Paul and Jason who have been doing this for 123 years? I remember when at a government agency they were still using pen/paper or manual typing in serial numbers to track hardware (phones, laptops, etc). It was not my aor but I still impressed on them to start using scanners to track inventory.
Using AI, you could whip this is up as a webpage very quickly. I've done similar for my online store.
Oh, this is such a familiar situation!!! we had a bakery chain client who wanted to automate internal document/turnover tracking, and the pushback from staff was fierce. we built a simple AI assistant they could just ask plain questions like "how do I do X" instead of forcing them to learn a new system cold. it helped. also financial motivation helped)))