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Your warehouse running smoothly relies in part on how well your barcode scanners work. Your workers are constantly moving and scanning products, and if they have to scan, rescan, and even type in the information from a product into their barcode scanner, they are wasting precious time which can be better used elsewhere. So when you are choosing the barcode scanner you want the employees of your warehouse to be using, you need to look at a variety of factors which may change how well a certain scanner works on your products.
First you need to look at the distance the barcode scanner is able to scan from and the distance from which your employees are most often scanning their products. Most of the time when it comes to standard barcode scanners, the scanner has to be at least one inch away from the barcode in order for it to scan it. These scanners can pick up a barcode from as far away as 6 inches at the lowest maximum distance to 5.5 feet at the highest maximum distance. Standard scanners work best in smaller warehouses or for products on lower shelves where employees will be close to the products they are scanning.
Long range scanners generally need to be at least 6 inches away from the product they are scanning but can read barcodes which are as far as 35 feet away from the scanner. These scanners are best used for products in large warehouses or on high shelves where employees cannot easily access them.
You also need to consider they type of barcodes your scanner will be trying to recognize. Some barcodes are more easily read than others. If your warehouse is using a type of barcode which is not easily read by the type of scanner you have selected, your employees could be taking too much time to scan the barcodes on products. Before you make a purchasing decision on your scanner, be sure it is compatible with your warehouse setting.
Handheld barcode scanners work best in warehouses where employees will be scanning large amounts of barcodes every single day. They are far more accurate than any other device which can scan barcodes, and they are easier to use frequently. However, if you have employees who will very rarely be scanning barcodes, there are smartphone apps they can use rather than having their own barcode scanner.
