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The Advantages of RFID in Retail: From Manual Inventory Management to Automated Inventory Tracking Part One
Nowhere is inventory more complicated or critical than in retail. From apparel and jewelry to tools and electronics, the sheer volume of inventory exchanging hands is staggering. In 2021, retail sales in the U.S. alone were estimated at $6.523 billion. Surprisingly, studies have found that approximately 46% of small and mid-size businesses still rely on antiquated manual inventory management. This tedious and time-consuming practice requires team members to manually update stock levels and inventory locations. The end result is unnecessary...
Still Using Windows Mobile? The Time to Switch to Android is Now
Many companies have delayed a move from Windows mobile to Android because they’ve been busy trying to keep up with day-to-day operations, and/or worried about the cost, time and effort needed to move to a new mobile operating system. For most, the clock is running out when it comes to using Windows OS. There are simply too many significant risks, costs, and potentially negative business impacts for companies to keep using Windows mobile. Here’s why:
Surviving the Supply Chain Crisis
Over the years, the global supply chain industry has made great strides in providing a reliable service that delivers products on time and in good condition. It was so effective that it was mostly an afterthought for those businesses that depended on it for survival. The only thing that caused it to slow down or deviate from everyday operations was the occasional act of Mother Nature. However, the global pandemic changed all that. Massive cargo ships that once crisscrossed the...
How Downtime Impacts Manufacturing
Accurate and real-time management of your critical manufacturing components is vital to your business. Without it, you could experience one of the worst things to happen to your operations - unplanned downtime. When production unexpectedly stops, your lost revenue is 15x more than a scheduled downtime. And considering that asset maintenance can run as high as $3 million per incident, your unplanned downtime could decimate your profit margin depending on your industry. For example, the average automotive manufacturer loses $22K every...
How RFID Helps You Create a Digital DNA for Unique Object Identity
Identity is a hot topic these days. Did you know that objects need an identity? Establishing individual object identities is an essential tool to streamline your daily operations. It’s more than just assigning an Electronic Product Code (EPC). It’s creating Digital DNA that enables you to identify, track, count and manage items in your inventory in real-time. Creating Object Identity through Digital DNA While barcodes and QR codes are great for identifying entire shipments of products, individual object identity is better...
Is your Inventory Management Keeping You In The Dark?
As your retail business grows, inventory management has become more complex. Knowing what you have, and more importantly, what you don’t have, is vital to your success. But what you used to do with just a clipboard, pen, and flashlight, now requires a more efficient, modern solution. To manage your retail inventory more accurately and easier, you need scalable tracking solutions like MSM Solutions’ PortalTrack barcode and RFID technology. This will give you the visibility you need to better track...
3 Ideal Applications for Thermal Transfer Label Printers
In a recent blog, we offered an overview of thermal printing technology. Our primary focus was on the fundamental differences between thermal transfer printing and direct thermal printing. Both technologies use a heated printhead to transfer text, barcodes, and images to the print media, but they do it in different ways. Here’s a quick tech review: With direct thermal, the printhead transfers the image to heat-sensitive media, often a paper label or receipt paper. A thermal transfer printer, however, adds...
Is Thermal Transfer Printing Technology Right for Your Business?
Thermal printers are used in a wide variety of applications today, showing up everywhere from shipping labels in e-commerce fulfillment operations to patient identification wristbands in hospital maternity wards. Compared to laser and inkjet printing technologies, thermal printers offer fast output, easy operation, and longer printer life, making it natural to consider whether thermal printers are right for your business. The Basics: Thermal Printing Technology Thermal printing comes in two types: direct thermal and thermal transfer. Both use a heated printhead...
When Warehouses Have Too Much Inventory! How RFID inventory Management helps
After more than a year of supply chain issues resulting in depleted inventory and delayed deliveries, retailers and warehouses find themselves with a new issue to contend with – too much inventory. Some of the biggest retailers in the world, like Walmart and Target, have reported their warehouses are overflowing with everything from clothes to bulky toys. Meanwhile, warehouses in China and the U.S. are losing floor space to unsold televisions, refrigerators and sofas. As warehouses continue to fill up, a...