Capturing data at source - where it happens, when it happens - can provide any organisation with numerous benefits, both direct and consequential. If your staff are still recording information by hand, it's time to take a fresh approach.
The Traditional Approach
With the traditional model of recording data, information is written down and then at some later point entered into whichever system(s) the data will ultimately reside. This approach is simple, but can be unreliable:
- Data may be written down incorrectly
- Hand-written data may subsequently be misread
- Recording data by hand can be time consuming
- Data may be mis-keyed when entered into the target system
- Data may be entered into the target system several hours or even days late
- The data flow is purely one way, with no feedback
- As a result, the performance of the organisation can be impacted:
- Staff that are more senior and/or more costly have to waste time investigating/resolving errors - result: additional staff costs
- Procurement routines can be distorted by incorrect or out-of-date inventory figures, leading to flawed purchasing decisions - result: stock shortages or excess stock
- Customer service levels can suffer as a result of unreliable inventory figures (inability to meet promise date, declining of orders where product is actually available) - result: reduced revenue
- Manufacturing planning errors can arise from unsound inventory levels - result: increased set-up costs or inefficient batch quantities from under-makes; excess stock from production over-makes.
The Route to Efficiency
For an organisation to be truly efficient, decision processes must be based on accurate and up-to-date information that is immediately available. This can only be achieved by ensuring that data capture processes are timely and easy to complete. There is no better way of accomplishing this than by implementing a data capture system, whether it is on the factory floor, in the warehouse, at goods receipt or dispatch, or even in the hands of a field sales force.
A real-time data capture system based on networked touchscreen PCs, handheld computers and/or scanners can bring a number of benefits, including:
- Data capture can be faster - selection of a product or order from a list, selection of a reason code from a drop-down, etc.
- Entered data can be validated in real-time - is this the correct product for the order?, does this batch have sufficient remaining shelf life? etc.
- Entered data is immediately visible to other users- accurate and always up-to-date inventory figures, together with current progress against manufacturing orders, can enable planners and customer service staff to make informed decisions based on current information.
- Information can be pushed back to users without relying on paper - planning schedule revisions, quantity made so far, next product to pick, stock check this location when finished picking from an adjacent location, etc. can all drive operator activities.
- Additional information can be collected, which would otherwise be too time-consuming to achieve - e.g. labour and machine time bookings, downtime reasons, product placement in retail outlets etc.
