How To Improve Truck Freight Carrier Productivity With Mobility
Increase productivity as a truck freight carrier.
by Barry Barcode
Are you in the freight business looking to increase your mobility, integration and thermal printing solutions?
If so, I’ve got a very useful tool for you. It is Zebra Technologies’ Zebra Business Value Map. A very handy reference guide to pinpoint areas for improvement within your freight operation, allowing for increased efficiencies and better customer service while reducing operating costs. Simply put, it works by linking and demonstrating how new mobile computing technologies and printing applications can simplify and streamline your freight operations by positively affecting the 3Ps (your people, processes and profits). The Zebra Business Value Map is a graphical depiction of the benefits of how each “P” is affected. It is broken down by each level of technology (workgroup, enterprise or extended enterprise) and also the level of the organization (department/unit, organization, external supply chain).
The key highlights of the benefits are:
• Increased workgroup productivity – people (ie. utilizing preprinted documents saves driver time and reduces errors and inaccuracies)
• Improve workgroup accuracy – processes (ie. elimination of pre-loaded or pre-verified data, print manifests on-demand with mobile printers)
• Enhance workgroup efficiency – profits (ie. faster completion of routes allows for increased expanded business and profitability)
• Streamline enterprise tasks – people (ie. less staff required)
• Save time throughout the enterprise – processes (ie. reduction in errors and discrepancies through use of barcode and RFID labeling)
• Boost the enterprise bottom line – profits (ie. reduced labor costs, faster invoicing, and increased inventory accuracy)
• Drive value to the extended enterprise – people (ie. improved customer service levels regarding documentation and delivery information and order accuracies)
• Refine extended enterprise supply chain management – processes (ie. streamlines system with faster electronic order receiving, reducing errors and simplifying inventory management)
• Lift extended enterprise margins – profits (ie. provide better service to customers allowing them to take advantage of improved shelf availability and reduced out-of-stock)
The mobility solutions for the freight industry include:
• Handheld computers running application software, smartphones, tablets
• Mobile thermal printers
• Wireless network connectivity
Each mobility solution is to be evaluated based on 4 categories:
• Support of standards
• Scalability
• Reliability
• Security
The solution you choose should provide you with the optimal support of these 4 categories. As you know, the freight industry is extremely competitive and demanding. Every dollar of savings counts. The more efficient you can be, the more competitive you are, so identifying and assessing the optimal solutions are in your best interest to keep you rolling along.
If looking to find ways to become more efficient in your freight operation, take a quick look at Zebra’s White Paper on their Business Value Map. Within it, they provide a list of questions they ask about your freight operation that will help get you thinking about your particular situation and to get you started on your path to increased improvements and further profitability.
For further information on mobile computing solutions and for all your barcode labeling printer and barcode scanner options, call us as (800) 643-2664 and immediately talk to one of our friendly representatives; or chat us up on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn!
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Reference:
Zebra Technologies’ White Paper – “Improve Truck Freight Carrier Productivity and Cost-Effectiveness with Mobility Technology”, 2013.