RE: Achieving Shipping Compliance at Remote Locations -- MIDRANGE-L

Hi Rick:
Reading between the lines in your post, it seems to me that you are
leaning towards some sort of stand alone solution for your remote
plants?  I guess I will make some comments based on that assumption, if
I am not correct, I apologize in advance.

It seems to me that you have most of the software you need already on
your AS/400.  You do not specifically mention it, but I am guessing your
AS/400 software can already print pick list and print the labels (you
indicate that this is already being done and sent to the plant locations
in advance).  Why not have your remote plants connect to your AS/400?
That seems like the logical solution.  Perhaps you don't want to spend
the money on a private network..... You don't need to.  Depending on the
needs of the remote plant (amount of bandwidth, access to local dial up
internet, cost/availability of a DSL line) you could create a VPN
connection between the local plant and the AS/400 location and print
directly to equipment in the plant.  That would take care of all your
printing requirements (ie pick list, UCC128 labels, pack list, etc).
You will still need a way to do the pick/pack scanning.  Is a RF system
needed?, are there "pack out stations" where the cartons are loaded with
the product.  In that case you could use an AS400 application that used
something as simple as a wedge reader (a bar code gun that connected
between your keyboard and PC) that could "read" the carton ID and then
the product ID as your place items in the carton.  This is not all that
difficult to do.

You could then use your existing EDI system to receive the orders (that
takes care of your first point), and use the data captured above at the
"pack out station" to create the pick/pack structured Advance Ship
Notice (ASN) to send back to your customer, as well as the invoice (via
EDI of course).

cjg

Carl J. Galgano
EDI Consulting Services, Inc.
550 Kennesaw Avenue, Suite 800
Marietta, GA  30060
(770) 422-2995 - voice
(419) 730-8212 - fax
mailto:cgalgano@ediconsulting.com
http://www.ediconsulting.com
AS400 EDI, Networking, E-Commerce and Communications Consulting and
Implementation
http://www.icecreamovernight.com
Premium Ice Cream Brands shipped Overnight

"You ain't gonna learn what you don't want to know" - rw

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-admin@midrange.com
[mailto:midrange-l-admin@midrange.com] On Behalf Of Rick Rauterkus
Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 9:39 AM
To: midrange-l@midrange.com
Subject: Achieving Shipping Compliance at Remote Locations


Hi Everyone,

We have several small plants around the country where product is
manufactured and shipped to customers.  That is all they do, produce and
ship.  All other functions (order taking, invoicing, EDI, etc.) are
handled here.

Up to now, we have been able to meet shipping compliance demands
(labeling, ASNs, etc.) from our customers by knowing ahead of time
exactly what was going to ship when and how, printing the labels here
and shipping them to the plant to be used.  But we are now getting into
a Pick and Pack type situation where we don't necessarily know what is
going into which box.

I need to come up with an economical solution at the remote plants with
the following features:
- somehow receive order data from our AS/400
- print pick lists
- scan items as it is put in the box
- print labels in compliance with each customers requirements
- print packing lists, bills of lading, and other paperwork in
compliance with each customers requirements
- somehow send the shipped data back to our AS/400 for further
processing

Software on our AS/400 is in-house written, so we should be able to
interface with most anything.  There are no technical people or
computers at the remote plants.

I am looking for recommendations of canned solutions that you think will
work for us.

Thanks!
Rick


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