Reliable RPC Tracking System
ORBIS, a subsidiary of Menasha Corporation, is a manufacturer of
reusable plastic containers (RPCs) for material handing, agricultural,
automotive, and industrial applications. In addition, ORBIS offers
value-added services such as logistics, cleaning, maintenance, and
repair of RPCs after use. Nationally, they ship and receive hundreds of
thousands of containers. RPCs circulate between suppliers, factories,
and ORBIS service centers. A container's handling cycle may span days,
weeks, or even months.
Problem:
A reliable RPC tracking system was essential to ensure efficiency and to
provide accurate inventory figures. Management needed clear visibility
of all RPC transactions to bill accordingly. A bar code solution that
performs shipping, receiving, and administrative functions was essential
to service center operations.
Solution:
Purple Oak offered LXE MX7 mobile computers and custom-built RPC
inventory data collection software. The MX7 was chosen for its
ruggedness and its potential for future applications. Each RPC is bar
coded with a unique ID number on a durable, permanent tag. The mobile
software collects shipping and receiving transactions in the ORBIS
service center, and interfaces with ORBIS's enterprise RPC management
software system.
Success:
- ORBIS has visibility of all RPC's in their control, and a complete history of each one.
- The system captures accurate RPC movement quickly and cheaply. Handwriting and manual data entry are eliminated for better time management.
- Information is directly available to clients over the web. This allows ORBIS to serve their clients better for increased customer satisfaction.
- Billing discrepancies are eliminated.
- The LXE MX7 is user friendly and easy to use, making training simple and fast.
