In the world of e-commerce and retail warehousing and distribution, receiving and shipping are two of the most labor-intensive operations. Correctly automating these processes reduces labor costs while increasing efficiency and facility capacity, directly affecting the bottom line. Bell and Howell has developed parcel-processing technology to fit the growing need to manage costs in these demanding environments. These innovations can be found in Bell and Howell’s Parcel Management Solutions, which include the ParcelMgr™ processing system, the Signature 3000™ and Signature 5000™ linerless label printer applicators, the CartonWrap packaging system, and product identification solutions for barcode/OCR induction scanning and label validation.
Bell and Howell will be demonstrating these solutions in booth 9107 at MODEX 2014, the industry’s newest expo for the manufacturing and supply chain industries, March 17 through March 20 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
Parcel Manager and Print-and-Apply Solutions
At the core of the Parcel Management Solutions, using Bell and Howell’s patented high-speed linerless labeling technology, is the ability to increase the labeling throughput by up to double in certain applications. This eco-friendly technology increases processing throughput while eliminating liner waste as experienced by traditional labeling systems. With a standard 36” variance in product height, this labeling system, when combined with the Bell and Howell intelligent gap controls, can achieve throughputs of up to 70 ppm from a single print head in certain applications. The days of mounting three or four printer applicators to achieve acceptable throughputs are a thing of the past. The linerless technology incorporated into this system provides the same benefits in regard to up time and label-size flexibility. The system’s modular design allows for quick replacement of components, reducing the need for redundancy.
The flagship ParcelMgr system can be implemented as a stand-alone solution, or as an integrated system focusing on shipping/receiving automation for retail distribution. ParcelMgr lowers the cost of parcel fulfillment and delivery by automating the tasks of identifying, weighing, dimensioning, labeling and sorting parcels or flats. At speeds of up to 5,000 parcels per hour, this automated solution will provide aggressive ROI by reducing labor while increasing the capacity of each receiving/shipping line in the facility. With this increased capacity, distribution centers can be designed with fewer lines dedicated to receiving/shipping processes.
CartonWrap Automated Packaging System
The CartonWrap packaging system is a new and innovative solution designed to create and fill packages sized to individual product dimensions on demand. This unique system eliminates the use and expense of box filler, reduces shipping expense by minimizing the shipment of empty space, and reduces labor with a single operator able to produce 10 boxes per minute.
The CartonWrap will be featured in Bell and Howell’s MODEX booth via video presentation and sample boxes.
“As the industry leader in high-speed labeling and parcel-processing technology, we look forward to demonstrating how our products can help distribution centers increase capacity by moving packages faster and smarter while providing a significant ROI,” said Bell and Howell CEO Ramesh Ratan. “We are leveraging our core technology strengths and industry leadership of more than 80 years in mail creation and sorting into developing unique new parcel-creation and handling solutions for the fast-growing global e-commerce and logistics market.”
