Barcoding implementation assistance in receiving

Epicor ERP 10
1

Hello,

I am in the process of implementing a barcoding system in our manufacturing plant. I previously had no experience with barcoding, how to implement it, or how it will work with Epicor, so I have been learning as I go. I am also relatively new to Epicor as well, so I am no expert but I do have a fairly strong understanding of it and the capabilities it has. I have been working with the trial version of Bartender, but I am fairly positive we will need to purchase the Automation Edition in order to achieve the solution I am hoping for. I have not had a chance to experiment with any mobile computer scanners, nor have I had any exposure to Epicor handheld, so that is one reason I am writing this. I am aware of some of the barcode scanner programming that is required, such as programming the scanner to tab after each scan.

I am attempting to get a foundation for the barcoding system by implementing it in our receiving area first. I’m interested in streamlining our receiving process by using a barcode scanner to enter data into Epicor, rather than typing the information in by hand. I plan to assign a barcode to each project, based on the project number. This barcode will be used to check in and track the parts associated with the project, as well as the project status throughout the assembly and testing processes. The project barcode label will also include the storage location while the project is being kitted, as well as a QR code that can be scanned to see the BOM.

Our company deals with over 3000 parts that we receive from a number of different suppliers, but we purchase parts according to the BOM for a given project. As those parts are received, they are counted and moved to the storage location according to the project. However, we often receive same parts for different projects under the same PO number so I’m not sure how this will impact my ideal solution.

The ideal solution that I am working towards is; we scan the delivery PO number barcode into our receiving dashboard on Epicor. This scan would trigger the printer to print barcode labels for each of the parts in the package. From there, our receiver can apply the label to the part and use the label to identify the storage location. The receiver will then walk the part to the location, scan the project barcode, scan the part label barcode, and the part will then be recorded as received and will be associated with the appropriate project. From there, the project can be tracked throughout the entire assembly process by scanning the project barcode at different stages throughout the process.

Does this sound like a feasible solution?

Is a mobile computer scanner (with Epicor handheld) our best option?

Will we be able to associate the same part barcode with different jobs?

Will we be able to program the scanner/printer to print multiple barcodes for the same part, just different projects?

Any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!

2

That’s a big project with lots of moving parts. Do able, but not trivial.

First note: Barcodes are nothing more than machine readable text, and just speed up what you would otherwise do with a keyboard. The actual barcode part is trivial.

We use bartender and I really like it. We use the automation license, and I think that’s what gets you what you need for triggering labels with a file drop.

I don’t use any epicor functionality with regard to bartender. They lock you into certain forms and tasks, and there really isn’t good way to change it. For all of my stuff getting sent to bartender I custom code my output. See the thread below to show you how to do that.

For the rest of your project, it’s up to you to come up with the logic for what does what. You’ll probably have to get quite of bit of code to be able to do it, but it’s possible.

1 Like
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I appreciate the explanation and input! I will be sure to check out the thread on writing CSV and use that information moving forward!

4

Hi Frank,
We use barcodes extensively in our plant. We don’t use bartender (we looked at it but couldn’t see the advantage really). We use SSRS to generate the labels that we use within the plant. Where appropriate, we use GS1 standard barcodes (so they can be read by our customers as well should that be necessary).
Our Part barcodes use GTINs to define the part. The barcodes look like this:
01[GTIN14]3110[qty]10[Lot number]
We have had some custom code written into our Material Issue form and the handheld Material movement forms. This means that instead of having one barcode for the part, one for the qty and one for the lot and having to scan 3 times, we scan just the once and the custom code populates Part, Qty and Lot and then we only have to scan in the From Bin and To Bin (these are barcoded on the bin racks so that is really easy for the storemen).

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I think of bar codes as an easy way to eliminate typo’s - simple to set up but by themselves they probably aren’t going to reduce your data entry times.

Automation is needed to realize the potential of bar coding.
i.e. project analysis up front, sometype of customizatio, multiple processes.
as Brandon metioned… (usually) not trivial.

2 Likes
6

Nicolas,

As Brandon mentioned, viable but not trivial.

I love Bartender as a solution. The templates are pretty easy to put together, setup of the software is pretty simple, and you can’t beat the speed. If you’re writing a CSV file out to a channel and tie it to a button, you literally hear the printer kicking off the labels before your hand is even off the mouse. So, excellent solution.

I’ve implemented Bartender at a number of locations, and I’ve found it can handle some fairly complex logic if you’re embedding that logic in custom code. The biggest issue is often figuring out what rules you want to follow, but if you can define the rules, you can usually get code that follows those rules. For example, I recently put in a solution that read through each line on a PO receipt, and printed labels to help the receiver to know where the product needed to be. If it was purchased to a job, it printed job information, if it was purchased to inventory, it looked to see if there were open orders waiting for the product, then looked if there were open jobs waiting for the material. With more complex rules, that’s why I prefer just to start this in custom code.

Not for the faint of heart, but it can really help your operation when implemented correctly.

Kevin Simon