Symbol Technologies, Inc. – Global …mthink.com › legacy › › content › pdf › ASC4_sp... · 2010-06-11 · engines are now easily embedded in a wide range of OEM devices,

Award winning Symbol Technologies, Inc., develops,manufactures, sells, and services mobile data transaction systems that improve productivity andcompetitiveness across industries and throughoutthe supply chain by increasing speed and accuracy,lowering costs, and enhancing customer service.

Symbol is a recognized leader in

technology innovation, recipient of

distinguished awards including the National

Medal of Technology, the United States’

highest technological achievement, and the

Mobile Star Award for 2001 best wireless

LAN technology.

The Company's technology solutions

integrate its three core competencies -

data collection, mobile computing, and

wireless communications. Miniaturization,

ergonomic design, and power management

innovations also drive Symbol's advances

in portable bar code laser scanners, applica-

tion-specific mobile computing systems,

and for communicating over wireless local

area networks (LANs).

Symbol’s ability to change the paradigm in

data capture and communication has fueled

its impressive growth from a startup in the

mid-1970s to an industry leader with recently

reported revenue of $1.45 billion, nearly half

of which is derived from export, and more

than 5,000 associates worldwide. Symbol –

strong and stable – trades on the New York

Stock Exchange under the symbol: SBL.

Symbol services several markets including

transportation and distribution logistics, man-

ufacturing, parcel and postal delivery, govern-

ment, retail, healthcare, and education.

Symbol’s wireless information appli-

ances – intuitive, convenient, and easy-

to-use tools – help connect the physical

world of people on the move– packages,

paper and shipping pallets – to information

systems and the Internet, a linkage that’s

increasingly critical to unlocking the true

potential of e-commerce. Symbol has more

than a 50 percent market share in vertical

market sales of mobile computing devices;

IDC recently named Symbol as the market

leader in pen and key-mobile devices.

Today, more than ten million Symbol

scanners, mobile computers, and wireless

LANs are in use worldwide.

The “Symbol Solution” includes a global

network of business partners, strategic

alliances, systems integrators, value-added

resellers, and distributors. Symbol works

closely in the supply chain with leading

companies like IBM, Intel, Microsoft,

Computer Associates, and i2, among more

than 400 others.

In the early 1980s, the company intro-

duced the world’s first hand-held laser

scanner (HHLS), which revolutionized bar

code scanning applications and proliferated

the use of bar codes. Scanning was limited

to bulky fixed-station laser scanners used

primarily at retail checkout, but the HHLS

is a ruggedized, mobile device that oper-

ates in tough retail environments, from

point-of-sale to the warehouse, and enables

supply chain logistics from the factory to

the home. The HHLS is a laser diode opto-

electronic system and decode software to

translate the bar code pattern into data.

Symbol has driven the miniaturization of

the bar code scan engine by a factor of sev-

eral thousand, shrinking it to one-fifth of a

cubic inch and a fraction of an ounce. Scan

engines are now easily embedded in a wide

range of OEM devices, such as hand-held

computers, PDAs, health monitoring, and

photo-processing equipment. This drive

toward miniaturization has facilitated per-

vasive use of bar code-based mobile data

capture in broad and diverse applications.

In 1990, the company introduced the

first packet-switched, commercial spread

spectrum wireless LAN for data communi-

cations. This mission critical, real-time,

mobile communication technology signifi-

cantly increased the productivity and effi-

ciency of retail store personnel, warehouse

and factory workers, and truck and parcel

delivery workers over the world.

Symbol has been the leading provider of

mobile computers and mobile computing

solutions throughout the supply chain for

more than 10 years. Symbol has a complete

product line based on Palm OS, Microsoft

Pocket PC, and DOS operating systems and

provides its customers solutions based on

an array of diverse handheld, fixed, and

vehicle-mounted devices.

Pioneered and led by Symbol, wireless

LAN technology has standardized around

the internationally accepted IEEE 8-02.11b

specification, opening the market for more

cost-effective, flexible system implementa-

tion and paving the way for the prolifera-

tion of wireless LANs worldwide, which

will ultimately provide boundless Internet

connectivity. Symbol’s open-architecture

wireless LAN solutions support data, voice-

over-IP, multimedia, and data intensive

applications at up to 11 Mbps with robust

interference immunity. In 1998, Symbol

introduced the first voice-over-IP wireless

LAN-based phone system able to carry toll-

free calls over an existing data network.

Symbol continues to drive innovative wire-

less and wireless mobile computing solu-

tions and bring wireless LAN innovations

to market. In 2001, Symbol introduced a

compact flash form factor for its wireless

LAN, and mobile computing devices that

integrate local and wide area network

communications (WAN).

In the early 1990s, Symbol also intro-

duced the first working wearable computer,

which provides a major productivity

advantage by leaving both hands free for

performing tasks like sorting parcels and

moving packages. The wearable and wire-

less scanning system is a technological

breakthrough in ergonomics and miniatur-

Symbol Technologies, Inc. –Global Leader in Mobile DataTransaction Systems

Solution Provider

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fruit growers. Products fall into three basic

categories: juices and juice drinks, sauces,

and fresh and dried fruits. Annual sales

total $1.45 billion. The world's first pro-

ducer of cranberry juice drinks, Ocean Spray

is known for its innovation and American

heritage. Ocean Spray turned to Symbol in

ization. It consists of two lightweight com-

ponents: a radio-integrated, full-powered

wrist computer for wireless data (and voice)

communications, and a laser scanner-in-a-

ring for aim-and-shoot bar code reading.

In the same time period, Symbol moved

bar codes to the next generation when it

unveiled today’s world-standard two-

dimensional portable data file symbology

(PDF417). The information stored in a

PDF can, at a fraction of a penny in cost,

contain more than a kilobyte of machine-

readable spatial data in a square inch or

two, increasing the capacity of laser-read-

able bar codes by more than 100 times.

PDF acts as a bridge to electronic data

interchange by serving as a paper-based

data communication protocol, versus linear

bar codes that rely on data stored in a com-

puter file. The integrity of the printed data

is maintained by utilizing sophisticated

error-correction, which enables complete

data recovery even from damaged labels.

As companies dramatically expand

their use of technology to meet the

demands of e-commerce – bar code data

capture, mobile computing, and wireless

LAN systems are clear solutions. In fact,

Symbol has been producing e-commerce

tools for nearly 20 years, and continues to

provide innovative productivity solutions

for today’s (and tomorrow’s) data-inten-

sive, Internet-driven world.

Symbol and its associates have received

numerous awards and recognition for tech-

nological leadership and innovation, includ-

ing: The National Academy of Engineering;

The IEEE Ernst Weber Engineering

Leadership Award; IEEE and OSA Fellows;

The Platinum 400 (best companies in

America) from FORBES (three years in a

row); Design Excellence Awards from

Business Week and the Industrial Design

Society of America; and approximately 700

issued and allowed U.S. patents.

Manufacturing Case StudyOcean Spray’s State-of-the-ArtInventory Management SystemServes Up Juicy SavingsOcean Spray is an agricultural cooperative

owned by nearly 900 cranberry and citrus

order to maintain its reputation for innova-

tion and leadership in the face of a rapidly

changing marketplace.

The ChallengeWhen grocery industry dynamics changed,

Ocean Spray's customers began demanding

just-in-time deliveries, placing smaller

orders and providing much shorter lead

times. Ocean Spray was forced to respond.

This was no simple task in a warehouse

using paper-based, manual procedures to

fill some 1,200 orders per day. Forklift

operators roamed the warehouse looking

for an empty row in which to deposit juice

drinks they had just removed from a truck.

Moreover, the "map" used for picking

orders was essentially a list compiled by

two individuals who physically walked

through the warehouse looking for the

oldest inventories. At any time, inventory

information could be 24 to 48 hours old.

The SolutionAll that changed when bar codes, scanners,

and a LAN from Symbol and Applied Tactical

Systems (ATS) were installed. "With up to

1200 orders to fill per day, Ocean Spray

needed an automated data collection system

that enabled product traceability and stock

rotation with reduced storage needs," said

ATS CEO Russ McCabe. Today, when a new

supply of product arrives at the loading

dock, bar codes that identify the contents of

each box are scanned and the forklift driver

is directed to the appropriate warehouse

location for storage. This information is

immediately relayed to the ATS software on

the SQL Server database for processing.

The solution enables complete product trace-

ability for each of 250 products. First-in,

first-out inventory management is now easily

achieved for all products in the warehouse.

Customer orders are downloaded directly

from Ocean Spray's server in Middleboro,

Massachusetts. At the shipping door, the

barcode is scanned and the inventory is

adjusted immediately. In addition, the sys-

tem automatically generates a pack list and

bill of lading. Confirmations of items picked

and shipped are then sent to the SQL data-

base for invoicing. ATS software manages

168 • The ASCET Project

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Figure 1 NetVision Phones

Figure 2 Symbol Terminals

Figure 3 SRS-1 Ring Scanner

the inventory, holds the data, tracks

where each batch of product is located in

the warehouse, and reports, using a land

line, to the company's server in Middleboro,

Massachusetts. “We track the entire life

cycle of the product, from production to the

warehouse to the supermarket. Lot history

and traceability data is available on a real-

time basis,” said McCabe.

BenefitsPerhaps the greatest benefit for Ocean Spray

can be summed up in one word – productiv-

ity. In the first year of operation with bar

code scanners and the ATS WMS solution:

• Total output rose 15 percent

• The warehouse shipped 1.8 million

more cases with 2200 fewer man hours

• Productivity per warehouse worker

rose from 451 cases per hour to 551.

• Mis-shipment expenses fell dramatically.

• Inventory accuracy reached better

than 98 percent.

• Inventory levels declined by

121,000 cases.

As you can expect, costs also declined dra-

matically. There has also been another sig-

nificant advantage – customers are happier,

enjoying better service, fresher product,

and fewer order errors.

Transportation Management Case StudyTNT – The Smooth OperatorLeading global distribution company, TNT

Express, is set to streamline and revolution-

ize its entire U.K. operation with the intro-

duction of a new data messaging system.

The ChallengeThere are 32 TNT Express depots through-

out the United Kingdom, each one dealing

with tens of thousands of consignments

every week. The success of the company

relies largely on the service they provide to

their customers, allied to their everyday

speed of response and the relay of accurate

data. The Worcester depot, with its 28 vehi-

cles, was selected to pilot the new scheme.

Until recently, customer orders were written

down, passed to a radio operator, and then

relayed by radio to the drivers.

The SolutionA new computer network was installed –

a PC and switchboard replaced the origi-

nal radio equipment in the control room.

Using this new system, collection orders

from customers are entered into the sys-

tem and transferred to the control room

where the operator easily routes the col-

lection direct to a driver, with data being

transmitted over the RAM mobile data net-

work. In the driver's cab, the direct

appears on the screen of a portable data

terminal - Symbol's PDT 3100 - which sits

in a customized, adjustable cradle on the

dashboard. Previously, the radio operator

was in voice communication with the

driver, frequently amid much wave band

interference and always against the noise

and clamor of constant incoming and out-

going activity. Now, instead of spending

time responding to calls from drivers, the

operators are free to plan more effectively,

focusing on the allocation of collections to

the appropriate vehicle, based on work-

load, location and other factors.

BenefitsThere are many benefits to the new

system, as David Baines of TNT relates:

“The reduction in paperwork minimizes

human error. The message is passed direct

through data channels and does not rely

on hand written messages between cus-

tomer services and the radio room. Also

the radio room message to the driver is

always clear and not as before compro-

mised by a weak radio signal. It means

our drivers are contactable, 100 percent of

the time, regardless of location.”

Drivers at the Worcester depot, who

deal with around 1,200 consignments each

day, have welcomed this simple to use data

transfer system because it makes their job

easier. The driver can now check accurate

consignment details on-screen to judge

whether they can make a collection in the

required timescale. Baines says: “Symbol

customized the cradle to TNT's needs

and also developed a range of brackets to

hold the cradle in the correct position in

each vehicle type. It also creates a better

working environment.” �

Dr. Jerome SwartzChairman, CEO, and Founder

Richard BravmanPresident and COO

Dr. Joseph KatzSenior Vice PresidentResearch and Development

Girish RishiVice President, EMEA

Barry IssbernerVice President, Logistics

Symbol Technologies, Inc.Worldwide Headquarters:One Symbol PlazaHoltsville, NY 11742Toll-free 800-927-9626www.symbol.com

Solution Provider

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http://symbol.ASCET.com