Spokane Software - Products (Bar Code)

Spokane Software Systems Modules

Bar Code Inventory Control Module

The Spokane Bar Code Inventory Control Module is a complete inventory management system to the grower, packer and shipper. From point of receipt to final product shipment, every important detail is tracked using a bar coded serial number.

The serial number acts like a license plate. It indentifies the commodity, variety, grade, size, pack type, grower year, label and other physical properties of the fresh produce it represents. It also identifies the pool, lot or account sale number of the produce, as well as the receipt number the produce was originally received on, or the run number that it was packed from. In addition, the time and date it was received, presorted, sized, or packed is represented on the ticket. Up to six user defined attributes allows the tracking of things such as inspection numbers, export quality, packing line number, or any other attributes specific to your operation.

Complete integrity was the priority of the Spokane Bar Code System design. The data captured in the inventory process is sufficient to link any carton of produce to the specific growers or grower blocks it was received from, even if it has been through multiple packing processes and may contain a mix of produce from multiple growers or blocks.

The Spokane Bar Code System optionally supports storage location tracking. A user-defined storage location field can be configured to support many different storage management systems, from warehouse only, to room, rack and row systems. When storage location support is used, custom picking slips can be generated by the Spokane Software System to meet individual packer/shipper needs such as oldest first picking.

To obtain the complete functionality of the system, a Radio Frequency (RF) terminal may be employed. These terminals ensure accurate handling at each step in the packing, shipping and inventory management processes. The RF terminals verify, in real time, the pool or lot number, grower, block and other necessary items as produce is staged for packing. This ensures only qualified produce is packed for any given packing run.

Accurate order fulfillment is also ensured when RF terminals are used. The system verifies each pallet tag to ensure it matches the order line item being scanned. The system can be configured to allow operators to override a mismatch, thereby allowing substitutions, or forcing an exact match.

To facilitate produce at various stages of the packing and inventory control process, a tag type is stored with the bar code serial number. Valid tag types are:

Bin Tags: for bulk receipt of unpacked produce
Presort Tags: for produce pre-sized or pre-sorted
Setback Tags: for produce that is not packed as part of a direct or final packout
Pallet Tags: for packed produce

Two types of receiving are accommodated. Bulk receipts are for unpacked produce, while field receipts are for field packed produce.

Two types of packout accounting to pools are supported. Actual is where grower participation is determined at the time the produce is packed; Presort is where the grower participation is determined at the time the produce is presorted.

Several types of packout runs are supported. These include:

Direct: Bulk receipts are directly packed (bin tags are cleared, and pallet tags/setback tags are created)
Presort: Bulk received produce is presorted (bin tags are cleared and presort tags are created)
Final: Presorted produce is packed (setback tags are cleared and pallet tags are created)
Setback: Previously packed produce is repacked or set back (pallet tags are cleared and new pallet tags/setback tags created)

To facilitate the most accurate possible pool and grower accounting, the pool, log or account sale number is tracked with each tag's serial number. When a pallet tag is cleared to an order line item, the proper pools are guaranteed to be updated. No guess work is ever necessary. Even when produce from multiple pools or accounts is used to fill a single line item, all pools and accounts are properly reflected.

Bar Code Image Samples

We have included a few of the sample bin and pallet tags that are produced with our bar code module. At a glance, you will see the commodity, variety, receipt number, size, grower, and other pertinent information.

Instead of tedious data entry, simply use one of the scanners to scan the bar code on the tag and the data is automatically entered!

Please note that these images may take a few moments to load; the sizes are from 10kb to 25kb.

The Spokane Bar Code Inventory Control System is a full featured, robust system for produce packers and shippers. It is also a solid foundation for emerging technologies such as case coding and EDI order fulfillment. Spokane Software Systems will continue to enhance the Bar Code System too accommodate the increasingly sophisticated computing needs of its clients.