How to Quickly and Reliably Automate 4-Sided Scanning of Incoming and Outgoing Pallets
Four-sided pallet scanning is a critical aspect of modern warehouse operations. Accurate and efficient scanning all four sides of a pallet can significantly improve inventory management, reduce errors, boost customer satisfaction, and enhance overall productivity. However, implementing and maintaining an effective four-sided pallet scanning process comes with its own set of challenges including:
Labor Intense – precisely capturing cases on all 4 pallet sides has historically required dedicated staff armed with pricey and limited handheld scanners.
Added Costs – workers dedicated to scanning 4 sides of a pallet increase warehouse expenses and overhead.
Prone to Error – despite the dedicated labor, 4-sided pallet scanning is unreliable and leads to additional costs and challenges.
Automated Scanning 4-sides of a pallet ensures that the appropriate goods are shipped and received.
Despite the efforts and expense associated with manual scanning , warehouses are still highly susceptible to added costs associated with mis-shipments. These costs are related to chargebacks, double pick times, return processing charges and more. Faced with these mounting costs, leading 3PLs and Brands turn to Vimaan to boost their productivity with automated 4-sided pallet scanning.
How 4-Sided Pallet Scanning Works
Powered by industry leading computer vision, Vimaan engineered PalletSCAN 360 to deliver the fastest and most reliable 4-sided pallet scanning solution. This system includes a panel of powerful Vimaan cameras, sensors and LED lighting that scans and captures 4 sides of a pallet as it is rotated by a standard pallet turntable or shrink wrap machine. PalletSCAN 360 scans as quickly as the system rotates the pallet (typical scan time is ~10 seconds). Along with capturing all 4 sides, PalletSCAN can validate the pallet contents in near real-time alerting operators of audit issues and inconsistences before the pallet can be processed.
Reads a combination of barcodes found on labels or cases (based on warehouse specifications).
Scans and recognizes common linear 1D barcodes including GS1, UPC, Code 93, and more.
Supports 2D barcodes including but not limited to QR Codes, Data Matrix, Aztec and PDF417.
Case counting is an essential part of 4-sided pallet scanning.
Case Counting
Quickly counts and reports back on the number of cases found on all 4 sides of a pallet.
Supports a variety of 4-sided pallet scanning configurations including interlocking, column, brick and more.
Reading text on labels and cases offers a more complete view of palled goods.
Optical Text Recognition
Isolates alphanumeric text strings on labels important to the warehouse.
Reads standalone text and numbers on cases such as item quantities or warning notifications. ,
Also recognizes logos, graphics and warning labels.
Validating all 4 sides of a pallet’s content
Pallet Content Validation
Once all 4 sides of the pallet are scanned, warehouses are alerted of items missing from the pallet or if quantities do not match the system of record.
Items that do not belong on the pallet will also generate alerts.
Highlights cases missing or unreadable labels.
4-Sided Mixed SKU Pallets
PalletSCAN 360 easily scans single SKU and mixed-case (or rainbow) pallet configurations. The system captures all specified case and label data on all 4 outward facing sides of a pallet.
Single direction communication link to pull information from a WMS or ERP.
All data and images can also be found in ViewDECK.
Full Warehouse Management System Integration
Vimaan communicates two ways to retrieve and send information to a WMS. Vimaan may or may not overwrite WMS inventory and task records based on warehouse requirements.
This solution is great for operations with robust WMS and internal reporting systems.
Information may be accessed in the customer WMS and ViewDECK
Enhanced 4-Sided Pallet Scanning Mobility
Working closely with global leaders in the space of warehousing, Vimaan engineered PalletSCAN 360 to support a wide variety of scanning scenarios including fixed and mobile 4-sided pallet scanning. To support data collection across multiple areas of the warehouse, PalletSCAN 360 includes a set of industrial casters to easily transport the system across the facility.
Get a custom pallet scanning system demo and discover how Vimaan can help improve pallet processing quality and speed, while reducing your operating costs,
