What are dimensioning systems?

TECHNOLOGIES

CubiScan® and Apache® systems are an advanced technologies in the field of systems for measuring volume and weight parameters of goods. Providing accurate and reliable product dimensions and weight for all of the items in your warehouse or shipping application. The systems use a range of sensing technologies such as ultrasonics, infrared, 3D camera and lasers to capture dimensions depending upon the type of product to be measured.

MAIN APPLICATION

CubiScan® and Apache® systems are designed to increase the productivity and efficiency of your:

  • Storage space optimization and automated master data acquisition: Collecting dimensional and weight data for warehousing, slotting, and pick/repack functions (Receiving)
  • Freight Manifesting: Shippers applying accurate dimensions and weight to outbound shipments (End-of-Line)
  • Revenue Recapture: Freight carriers dimensioning and weighing shipments to apply dimensional based shipping charges (Dim-Weight)

SYSTEMS

FULLY INTEGRATED SYSTEMS OR AS A STAND-ALONE/MOBILE SYSTEMS

  • Static cubing & dimensioning systems for regular as well as odd-shaped items
  • In-motion/dynamic cubing & dimensioning systems for conveying, scanning, weighing, labeling and sorting of moving items.
  • Software with user friendly interface
  • Direct interface with WMS/ERP/Shipping application
  • Custom import/export features
  • Data transfer on real time/batch mode/FTP basis.
  • Integration with digital camera to capture images with each measurement.

ADVANTAGES

  • Fast acquisition of master data such as length, width, height and weight
  • Possibilities for nesting, stacking and compressing
  • Easy handling through an easy-to-use interface
  • Exact measurement data for precise further processing and picking
  • Space-saving storage and packaging lead to significantly lower storage and shipping costs
  • Fast ROI

10 Ways to Supercharge Your WMS with Accurate SKU Dimensional Data

  • 1 - Facility design: When a company starts planning for a new Distribution Centre, one of the first things the DC designer will need is the detail on the products that will be stored there: What are their dimensions? The smallest? The biggest? Their shapes? How much do they weigh? Will they be stored individually or on pallets? Seems obvious, right? The answers will dictate everything from the design of the facility’s picking and packing areas to the type(s) of storage systems that will be used.
  • 2 - Storage:Good dimensional data can help DCs maximise their storage space. Once stock-keeping units (SKUs) have been weighed and measured, their profiles can be uploaded to a warehouse management system (WMS) for use in determining the optimal storage location for each item—where it should go and whether it should be stored in flow racks, shelving, or other storage mediums.Not only does this help optimize storage space, but it also ensures that the SKUs will actually fit in their assigned spaces.
  • 3 - SLOTTING: Dimensional data can help streamline the slotting process. Once the SKUs’ dimensions have been captured, they’re imported into special slotting software (say, dynamic slotting), which uses that information—in conjunction with data on order characteristics like pick frequency—to determine how to arrange products within the pick zones to optimise order fulfillment.
  • 4 - PICKING: When workers pick directly into shipping cartons, dimensional data can be key to preventing carton selection errors. Often, pickers are left to make their best guesses as to what size carton to use, but that can prove costly and time-consuming. if the box is too small, the packer has to remove the items and repack them, slowing throughput. Dimensional datacan help ensure the right size carton is used.In addition, the data can be helpful in determining whereindividual items should go in a carton and the order in which they should be picked to ensure everything fits neatly inside the box without crushing the items on thebottom. Also, accurate weight information on SKUs can promote good ergonomic practices by ensuring that order cartons weigh no more than, say, 20kg.
  • 5 - Verification: Once a SKU’s weight has been captured and uploaded to theWMS, the information can be used to verify picking. As each order is received,the WMS calculates how much it should weigh, based on the weight of the carton itself plus each of the items it contains. After the order has been assembled, the carton is ‘check-weighed’—perhaps via an in-line scale on a conveyor system. If the actual weight differs from the expected weight, the carton can be set aside for further examination. Automated verification can cut down on the need for manual order inspections, resulting in substantial savings in time and labour.
  • 6 - Packing & Carton Optimisation: Dimensional data helps DCs optimise their packaging. Shipping items in oversized cartons stuffed with filler can lead to big waste and inefficiency. Some companies are shipping cartons that are 40 to 60 percent too large and so are paying to ship air. Dimensional data can also help with packaging optimisation in operations that use standardsized cartons. For example, the data can be used in computer aided carton selection as well as for decisions about the optimal amount of void fill and other packing materials to use.
  • 7 - Pallet building: Dimensional data can be very helpful when it comes to building stable pallets. Once the data has been entered into the WMS, the system can use it to determine how items should be stacked on the pallet (typically with larger and heavier items on the bottom) to ensure load stability.
  • 8 - Load building: Not only can dimensional and weight data help with building pallets, it can help with building loads for trailers, shipping containers, and other conveyances. Whether an operation is shipping full pallets, cases, irregularly shaped products, or a mix of all of the above,it can feed the data into shipping, warehousing, or load building software, which then determines how to load the truck to make the best use of space while staying within weight limits.
  • 9 - Shipping: The advent of dim-weight billing has changed the economics of parcel shipping. Good dimensional data will help shippers avoid costly mistakes. Under the carriers’ dim-weight rules, a shipper must define the package’s actual weight and its L/W/H dimensions or its cubic volume. If the dimensional weight exceeds the actual weight, that becomes the basis for thefreight charge. By gathering precise dimensional data on their packages, shippers can ensure they’re rating their parcels correctly and avoid chargebacks by carriers. But it’s not just aboutavoiding chargebacks. Good dimensional data also allows shippers to estimate carrier charges for rate shopping purposes.
  • 10 - Customer Service: Good service includes providing customers with good data. By providing accurate dimensional data on your products, you give customers the opportunity to use that information to benefit their own operations. Plus, if you charge for shipping, you can boost your credibility with customers by including the relevant dimensional and weight data on invoices. That way, they can be assured they’re being charged appropriately for freight.