Most equipment manufacturers will probably recognise the frustrations. The industry requirements call for parcels with the goods despatch notes on the outside. The objective, of course, is to enable the receiver to check the shipment before opening the parcel, thus streamlining parcel distribution on the customer's end. But on your end, printing, folding and putting the paperwork into the pouch is a nightmare. It's a time-consuming process, inefficient, and susceptible to human error. And doing it manually seems to be the only option.
— For years, the accepted truth has been that goods despatch notes can only be handled manually. But handling a goods despatch note manually takes 30-40 seconds on average. That quickly adds up if you distribute thousands of parcels every day.
And besides being a time-consuming process, staffing bottlenecks are a major challenge
explains Thomas Heydolph,
Global Strategic Account Manager at Caljan.
30-40 seconds vs. 6 seconds x 300 parcels per hour x 16 hours per day x 260 working days per year
vs
If you are a major equipment manufacturer, most of your parcel-handling line is probably already automated — except for your goods despatch notes.
Times have changed: now you can get a fully automated line – including the goods despatch note and the pouch.
By automating your goods despatch notes, you can minimise manpower requirements and cut costs significantly. In fact, automated handling is about 600 percent more efficient if you ship at least 250-300 parcels per hour,
Thomas Heydolph explains.
While manual handling at its most proficient can get the job done in 30-40 seconds per parcel, automated handling can do it in just six seconds.
Automation also eliminates human error and double-checks the entire line (using scanners, cameras, etc.) which, taken together, greatly increases the accuracy of your despatch notes.
Production managers, logistics managers, shipping managers - anyone looking to optimise, cut costs, or reduce frustrations and bottlenecks in the distribution line – all will probably appreciate the opportunity for full automation.
Depending on the number of parcels, these benefits add up to a payback period of less than two years,
Thomas Heydolph stresses.