Bar Code - Inventory System

[Erick]

I've been given the taks to put in place an easy and functional inventory system in the shop where I work. We want to have better control of what comes in and goes out. Currently we only have only an Excel spreadsheet.
I have been in contact with some companies that provide this type of service, but I am still trying to decide what's best for our needs.
I've looked into Moraware, but it lacks one our main requirements which is Bar Coding.

Have anyone used Wasp Inventory System? This one looks good to me, but I am still to find a company in our industry that have used it, therefore I am not certain that it will work for us.

Also I would like to know what other systems are out there that are being used in our industry.
Thanks,

Erick @ Miller Druck Specialty Contracting, Inc.

[Todd Luster]

I believe it is Wasp Christie uses for ours.
I will ask and see if she can chime in or contact you.

[Stuart Young]

We use Moraware for our inventory. It is able to generate a bar code label, we had our IT company write an APP which allows us to use an IPAD to walk through our inventory and scan each label and update our count. We are able to scan and update our inventory monthly in a couple of hours. It is extremely helpful having a system where you can allocate, assign and consume inventory all at one centralized location and have it linked to activities. I would have another closer look at Moraware and the advantages that it can offer your entire business (if you do not already use it in the other aspects of your business) if your are using it, then take a closer look at the inventory module. It is really nice having inventory consumed as soon as the programming or cut activity completed, and at the same time being made aware if there is any left over materials that can be reallocated to other projects.

[flav]

Although it is not readily explained, moraware does work with barcoding out of the box using an iphone/ipad and a Bluetooth barcode scanner. Something like the motorola cs3070. The Bluetooth barcode scanner acts as a bluetooth keyboard that keys in the serial when you scan a barcode using their web interface.
I also wrote a custom iphone app to help move slabs around and update inventory locations a bit easier.

Definitely 2 thumbs up for the rest of the moraware system for a smoother granite shop.

[Erick]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read my post and respond. Todd would you please confirm that you are using
Wasp and tell me how is that working for you?
Stuart and Flav, do you create your own barcodes and if yes what do you use to create them?
I will take another look at Moraware.

[flav]

I use the moraware jobtracker software to create the barcodes (you have to create a custom printable tag with a barcode field).
As for printing the barcode slab tags, we looked at quite a few options and settled on a thermal transfer printer on "plastic" tag stock. A cheaper way would be to use a laser printer to print on vinyl sheets but it may not hold up well outdoors.

[Dan Dauchess]

I use the moraware jobtracker software to create the barcodes (you have to create a custom printable tag with a barcode field).
As for printing the barcode slab tags, we looked at quite a few options and settled on a thermal transfer printer on "plastic" tag stock. A cheaper way would be to use a laser printer to print on vinyl sheets but it may not hold up well outdoors.

Could you add some specifics about the brand/model printer being used? I'm looking for a similar solution as I use Moraware. Thanks

[flav]

We are using the Zebra GK420t thermal transfer printer with the 5095 performance resin ribbon.
If the pricing isn't too different you can opt for the 5100 premium resin ribbon - apparently more resistant.
We print on 4" wide rolls on some sort of white plastic media. We are in the process of finding a good supplier for pre-perforated media so that we don't have to cut the tags by hand afterwards. Sorry I don't know exact specs since this is coming from a sign / label supplier.
You have to be very specific with the media since the printer will only work with thicknesses up to 0.0075" (0.20 mm).
We print 4" by 0.75" tags and currently use a paper cutter to individually cut each tag out.
We then affix the tags on the edge of the slabs with silicone. I don't yet have a solution for gluing the tags in the winter outside since silicone doesn't seem to cure in less than 0 deg celsius.
So far I am very happy with the progress we've made with this setup. We can print 1 tag (no media waste) or 25 tags. If I need to print 100 tags, I print them in batches of 25. Not sure if it's a printer buffer issue or what.

[Dan Dauchess]

Perfect!

So you output the PDF directly from Moraware to the printer? I wanted to make sure that was how it worked.

Thanks

[flav]

Yes, I print them from the Purchase Order "Print Labels". I setup the label template as pages of 4" by 0.75" with zero margin and have it print out the product variant name and the serial as a number and as a barcode. Since page size is 1 label, moraware will generate a pdf with 1 label per page and 15 pages for 15 labels. The printer driver is also setup to accept the same page size. For some reason google chrome's pdf viewer doesn't print it properly so you need to use the adobe reader plugin to view and print this pdf.

[Jesse]

I don't yet have a solution for gluing the tags in the winter outside since silicone doesn't seem to cure in less than 0 deg celsius.

We use a cordless hot glue gun.

[Garoovy]

I don't yet have a solution for gluing the tags in the winter outside since silicone doesn't seem to cure in less than 0 deg celsius.

We use a cordless hot glue gun.

I know this post is over 4 years old, but I thought I'd chime in about how I affix labels to our slabs. Caulk won't cure in the cold/wet. Hot glue is too easy to peel off. I found that Loctite PL Construction adhesive is the way to go. If the stone is wet, blow torch it a little to dry it, add a dab of PL, slap your label on it. The best way to make sure it's secure is to add a bit of PL on top of the edges of the label to physically hold it to the stone. This way it doesn't rely on the label sticking to the PL, but rather the PL will hold the label to the stone. Even in freezing wet weather, this will hold solid and eventually dry to a point that you'd need a tool to get it off.