We might start barcoding/scanning...but how?
I am new to all things Flex. I've been doing my best to watch webinars, read the blog and forum posts. We are a smaller sized event company out of Hicksville, NY. http://www.shadowboxdm.com/
We currently do not have a barcode/scanner system. I would love to implement one.
We use Flex 4.27.0, Chrome, Version 78.0.3904.97 (Official Build) (64-bit)
One question I have is if we are going to be using Flex Tablet & Flex Phone soon, do I need to buy a scanner or can I use the camera on those devices?
What else do I need to setup a barcode/scanning system? Also, since we are a smaller company, price is an issue. Are there cheap yet efficient printers, scanners, if needed, labels etc...?
Any info is greatly appreciated! I hope these questions won't seem too basic. I look forward to hearing from anyone who can help. Thanks!
Joey Donarummo
Driver/Logistics
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Hey Joey,
My name's Aaron. I'm an independent consultant that is endorsed by Flex. You'll see Bigs on here who is as well.
I'll give you the quick rundown. Scanners are fairly simple to implement. You basically need to hook up via bluetooth or USB. It's like a glorified keyboard at that point. You'll want to get a programmable one so as to make it work more efficiently with Flex. You can use the camera on the mobile devices, but I usually recommend having a dedicated scanner as it's usually faster and easier.
Barcode printers will need you to have a static external IP address from your internet provider so that it doesn't change. Then there's a little IT work to port the connection from the Flex server through to your printer. The printer is not talking to your computer, but to the Flex server. The printers I recommend are around $750-1000. There are cheaper ones and used ones that can work. I wouldn't go cheap on the actual labels. You'll spend a ton of man hours replacing barcodes if you skimp.
I have recommendations on the equipment and labels and can walk you through the setup and implementation. Let me know if you would like to engage in my services. Thanks Joey!
Aaron Horn
Independent Consultant
aaronjhorn@gmail.com
615.335.1225 -
Hi Joey, welcome!
Just chiming in to say I strongly recommend working with Aaron, he is very knowledgeable and has helped many companies who use Flex to set up their scanning / warehouse workflow. It can save you lots of time, money, and frustration to get some experienced guidance before you jump into the process.
Cheers,
Bigs
Endorsed Independent Consultant
bigs@squarewave.com.au
www.squarewave.com.au -
Thank you both! I appreciate the info. I will bring it to the attention of my higher ups. For my own knowledge, which is limited on this, do we need a barcode printer? No other type of printer will work? Also, the labels, I know you say not to go to cheap but what is the bare bones setup? I only ask because I feel like this is something that I can get others on board with if it's a little at a time. Jumping in with a $750 -1000 printer or even a used one, a scanner, and good labels... I don't want to get turned away at the start.
Printers, labels, using the phone/tablet camera? Bare bones setup?
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Hi Joseph-
Aaron can probably give you more detailed info on printers etc, but I'd like to plant some seeds with you regarding the budget for this project.
First of all, as Aaron mentioned, if you skimp on hardware and labels, you may end up having to do it more than once. How annoying would it be to get the cheap stuff and then turn around and get the good stuff in 6 months anyway because the cheap stuff failed?
And more importantly, what is the motivation to serialize your inventory? Some common reasons are to make preps and returns more foolproof and efficient, improve the reliability of numbers within Flex, reduce inventory losses, and track maintenance better. All of these objectives can reduce business expenses in a variety of ways.
Let's say it costs $4,000 to serialize your inventory (equipment, materials, and labor cost). If this means that you now have a better record of what gear went to what gig and you can turn around to a rental client and say "Amplifier #1054 was not returned with your rental, our records clearly show it was sent on your job." You just saved yourself $2,500 in amp replacement cost that you can now invoice to the client because you have a detailed record.
Or look at the time spent in any given month trying to work out which gear was returned from which job, or where a piece of equipment was. Much of that time gets saved when you have serialized inventory.
Think about these scenarios and put some rough numbers on them so in your conversations with your supervisors, there is a clear business case for doing this project. Often business owners don't like to spend money on items or projects which do not generate revenue directly, but if you can show how this project will reduce overhead, it should be a no-brainer.
Good luck!
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Hello! This is my first post here, we just started using Flex and I'm very excited to start inventory management with it!
I'm wondering if it is possible to use labels printed by a 3rd party in Flex? We have a sign maker just next door who can make us custom labels with barcodes on them. Will these be recognizable by the software? Do they need to be in a particular format to do this?Any help is appreciated, thanks!
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