Alphaquant explored Android phones as cost effective barcode scanner as alternative to the expensive used laser scanners. Because all scans were made in short distance, over 100 expensive proprietary scanners have been replaced with cheap $100 Android phones to scan packages. Total savings: $400,000 by avoiding to buy new hardware and support fees.
Challenge
The logistics industry is under a lot of economic pressure. It is very important to optimize processes and save money where possible. The company used lots of expensive scanners for order picking where most of the functionality was not needed. The main advantage of the laser scanners is that they can scan barcodes in a long distance. So the decision mas made to replace the expensive proprietary hardware with cheaper standard hardware.
Solution
Alphaquant proposed a cost effective barcode scanner solution by using an affordable Motorola phone running on Android. Subsequently, we developed an Android Java App using Android Studio for QR Code scanning with the built-in camera. This approach enables workers to effortlessly check the inclusion of an item in a shipment by simply scanning its barcode. Upon scanning, the App initiates an API call to query the ERP system, and the APP shows the result on the screen.
Result
The hardware costs for over 100 proprietary scanners reduced significantly, from previously thousands of dollars per device to just $100 for a simple Android phone. Moreover, the app saves protocols to log all user activities comprehensibly. Consequently, cheap $100 Android phones, serving as cost effective barcode scanners, replaced 100 expensive proprietary laser scanners to scan packages. The total savings amount to $400,000 by avoiding the need to purchase new hardware and pay support fees.
Technologies
Java, Android Studio, Restful API, Git