By: Robin Edwardes, Executive Vice President,EMEA, TallyGenicom – Printing is a key requirement for any organisation, particularly in the logistics environment where it is part of the day-to-day operation. With a large number of parcels and goods being received and despatched on a daily basis, printers are subject to heavy workloads in demanding and often harsh environments. Fortunately, companies focusing on business critical applications are able to help and empower organisations by offering improved visibility of operations, through the utilisation of specialist printing solutions. By offering organisations transactional printing solutions, TallyGenicom is able to respond to the needs of any organisation by leveraging its expertise and in-depth knowledge of the varying requirements of the industry.
Warehouse and Distribution Centre:
Warehouse and distribution centres require printers that are highly reliable, robust and have the capacity to cost effectively print large volumes of documentation without disruption. Printers most suited for this environment are line and serial matrix printers. Not only are these types of printers robust, they are capable of printing continuously. They offer a high level of reliability with an incredibly long working life. Capable of printing up to 1,800 lines per minute, the serial and line matrix printers can be used for printing materials such as barcodes, dispatch notes and invoices. This accounts for massive savings in terms of capital equipment, running costs, reliability and required for with user intervention. When choosing the appropriate solution, it is important to consider vendors which have vast experience of manufacturing rugged and durable serial and line matrix printers, that guarantee output at the lowest cost.
Line printers sit comfortably with legacy systems like PC-DOS, IBM mainframes, AS400 and the more modern applications like Windows, Linux and Unix as well as SAP. For any business considering implementing line printers, the respective vendors should be consulted to determine the drivers to ensure compatibility with the legacy systems.
Office Printing:
Office printing in the warehouse and logistics environment is similar to corporate printing requirements. Businesses thinking about implementing printer solutions for the office should be looking at those that can provide high quality output in full colour. Businesses should also make sure the printers come network ready. Colour and mono laser printers will help organisations to print meeting materials, manuals and other large format documents, as well as reducing printing costs through utilising high volume workgroup printers.
Secure printing has also become a high priority with the increase of data loss and identity theft cases across all industries. Secure printing now comes as standard in most office laser printers. This tool enables each document containing sensitive information to be printed only after the person authorising the printout enters a selected PIN number and picks up the document, enabling the document to be seen only by those it is intended for.
Other key features include finishing features, such as stapling, hole puncher and collating, enabling quick turnaround and presentation of critical documents. Such features can b found in our 9050 mono laser printer.
Vehicle Printing:
With computers and GPS systems mounted in vehicles, value add applications such as route planners and satellite navigation are beginning to emerge in the market. With today’s logistics operations being ever changing, many businesses have identified areas such as ‘Shop and Drop’ services as a new and exciting revenue stream.
Where in the past in-car printers were heavy and difficult to operate, the advances made by the leading providers of vehicle printing solutions have made the printers easy to mount in a delivery van’s or truck’s cabin. Such printers must provide rugged durability and operational flexibility in an industry where the need to print information in-transit is critical.
With the sheer number of deliveries made every day, the need to print delivery notes and invoices at the same time has become key to any courier company. Transportation and delivery companies are increasingly looking at vehicle printing solutions, such as our MIP480, which are easy to mount in delivery vans or truck cabins.
Label and Barcode Printing:
Barcoding is the most accurate and reliable method for fast data input. Standardising the way information is recorded can result in better communication throughout an organisation. It benefits businesses in a wide range of industries by increasing accuracy and workflow, as well as providing improved precision compared to typing by hand, therefore reducing the risk of costly errors.
The latest addition to complete our product portfolio is our range of thermal printers. The recently launched 7000 series of thermal printers are the quickest way to produce barcodes and labels, up to 25% faster than competing products. The new 7005, 7006 and 7008 printers can cover everything from 2- to 4-inch thermal transfer and direct thermal printing for applications in the warehouse and logistics environments. Thermal printers can also be used in a variety of environments, such as shipping labels on ecommerce goods and price labels in supermarkets.
Service on the Fast Lane:
Service is an important part of printing in the warehouse environment. It is imperative that manufacturers are able to respond to any service queries, further assisting customers to drive profitability through their business. We have recently introduced our Fastrack Engineering division, as well as a fully trained service team, which enables us to customise printers to meet specific system needs, and in many cases this helps avoid unnecessary and costly system software upgrades. Where issues like total cost of ownership are key, it is important that businesses work with closely with their chosen vendors to lower the overall cost of maintenance and system compatibility. This approach ensures that printers meet the end user’s expectations and keep the business running.
The proliferation of printing applications available for the logistics and transportation market means it is becoming increasingly important for operators to spend time with their chosen vendor in order to discuss their specific requirements. This way, businesses can ensure that cost savings are achieved and optimum output is guaranteed to support the ongoing operation of the fleet and deliveries.
TallyGenicom Ltd
Phone (UK): 0870 872 2888
www.tallygenicom.co.uk
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