Monday, September 29, 2003
Pocket-Size Tools Solve Large Construction Problems
Posted by Sponsor in "SPONSORED ARTICLES" @ 07:00 AM
Are those inventory records accurate? Are all workers accounted for? Handheld PCs with built-in scanners help construction firms keep track of what’s really happening out in the yard.
Construction companies are discovering that they can save time and headaches in their field operations by trading in traditional clipboards for handheld PCs equipped with bar code scanners. Paper-driven record keeping simply cannot measure up to the capabilities of these pocket-sized devices for collecting and accessing information. Processes are not only faster, they allow information to be put to use in ways that were never before possible.
Streamlined Inventory Management at Dick Corp.
Dick Corporation (Pittsburgh, PA), one of the country’s largest construction firms, is using a handheld inventory control application to help track the vast assortment of parts and materials that go into a power plant or office building. Material supervisors use their Handheld PC (HPC) to carry around the complete project inventory and perform inventory-related transactions. Bar coded labels link each item to a database containing all information necessary for thorough tracking.
The inventory tracking system is being used in the construction of a large power plant in Meriden, Connecticut, as well as at many similar locations. Dick Corp. is prime contractor, managing the work of numerous subcontractors. It’s a fast-paced project spread over many acres, with individuals from different companies constantly requesting materials and picking through the storage yards. Before the new system was installed, delays in processing paper records and inadequate tracking details meant that items had a tendency to become lost or misplaced.
“We needed a better tracking system than Excel spreadsheets and paper,” explains Mike Toland, Equipment Material Coordinator for the project. “Paper is too cumbersome and also too limiting – you’re never able to specify all the information you need. We had heard about other industries that were using bar code systems, so we decided to investigate it for inventory tracking and see if it would work for us.”
The software behind the new inventory management system is called iTrack and is available from SyntegraTech. It consists of a master inventory database running on a desktop PC and a handheld application that mirrors the central database. For each item in inventory, the application tracks its location, condition, date/time of arrival, special handling instructions, and other details. The core program runs in Microsoft Access, while the handheld application was created using Visual CE from SYWARE. Visual CE is often used by companies to create their own custom forms, as well as by software developers like SyntegraTech.
Pop-up menus squeeze extra real estate from the handheld screen. When the user drops the handheld into its cradle, the transactions stored on the handheld are synchronized to the desktop Access database. It’s a much more efficient approach than creating paper records and keying the same data into the central computer in what amounts to a complete duplication of effort.
Handheld preloaded with new inventory data
Dick Corp. vendors supplying materials for the project submit lists of incoming items by e-mail, usually in the form of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, which is imported into the Access database. At the start of the day, Toland synchronizes the Access database to the handheld using one of the menu options on the desktop menu (Figure 1). He then goes out to the yard to receive the new material.
Figure 1: Desktop Main Menu
All items are shipped with tracking documentation, including a purchase order number, case number, or some other tracking number. This number is also part of the database record that was downloaded in advance into the desktop computer, then synchronized to the handheld. As material is unloaded, Toland looks up the tracking number on his handheld to display the complete item record. Everything he needs to know is at his fingertips: a description of the part, total number of units ordered, storage requirements, designated contractor, and so on. Toland now completes the Receipt transaction, tapping through the drop-down menus to indicate the date he received the part, its condition upon arrival, storage location, and other key details. See Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 2: Handheld Main Menu
Figure 3: Inventory Item Detail
At the end of the day (or at his convenience) Toland synchronizes the information captured on his handheld with the Access database on the desktop. He can then generate a variety of reports about the equipment received, which can be sorted by contractor, storage location, condition, or any other criteria.
Bar codes linked to database records
One of the biggest advantages of the inventory control system is the ability to track items in the database by their bar code serial number. The first step is to print a set of labels using one of the desktop menu options. Initially, bar code numbers are unassigned, similar to a new license plate that has not been assigned to a vehicle.
When he’s ready, Toland goes out to the materials yard with his handheld and labels. Using either the Receipt or Verify options on the main menu, he accesses the inventory record for a newly received item by looking up that item by the purchase order or other tracking number. He then sticks the bar code label on the part and scans the label. The scanned bar code number is entered into an input field on the handheld form and becomes part of the inventory record.
From this point on, he can scan the label to instantly access the complete inventory record for the item, and the look up process is greatly streamlined. “We can point the handheld at a part, read the bar code, and the machine tells us everything we need to know: what it is, when it got here, where it came from, and who it belongs to.”
The application also includes a Move function used to move items from location to location and issue inventory items to a contractor. At the time of issue, the record is removed from Active inventory and pushed to a History inventory so it can’t be issued again. When inventory is issued, the contractor signs for it on the handheld screen using a scribble box created using Visual CE. Their bar-coded badge is scanned to record the recipient’s ID information along with the signature. Later, when the materials supervisor runs a report of inventory issued, the contractor’s signature appears next to every inventory item received.
As Toland points out, this approach is very useful for eliminating potential controversies down the road. “Eight months later, if someone claims they never received an item, I can go to my records, and guess what: there’s his signature and his bar code. As they say in these situations, ‘Hey buddy, you own it!”
For further information, contact:
Frank Yacano, Director of Business Development
SYWARE, Inc.
PO Box 425091, Kendall
Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
Phone: +1 617.497.1300
Fax: +1 617.497.8729
Email: [email][email protected][/email]
Web: www.syware.com
- - - - - - - - - -
The above article is a paid advertisement for SYWARE and does not necessarily represent the views of Pocket PC Thoughts.
Construction companies are discovering that they can save time and headaches in their field operations by trading in traditional clipboards for handheld PCs equipped with bar code scanners. Paper-driven record keeping simply cannot measure up to the capabilities of these pocket-sized devices for collecting and accessing information. Processes are not only faster, they allow information to be put to use in ways that were never before possible.
Streamlined Inventory Management at Dick Corp.
Dick Corporation (Pittsburgh, PA), one of the country’s largest construction firms, is using a handheld inventory control application to help track the vast assortment of parts and materials that go into a power plant or office building. Material supervisors use their Handheld PC (HPC) to carry around the complete project inventory and perform inventory-related transactions. Bar coded labels link each item to a database containing all information necessary for thorough tracking.
The inventory tracking system is being used in the construction of a large power plant in Meriden, Connecticut, as well as at many similar locations. Dick Corp. is prime contractor, managing the work of numerous subcontractors. It’s a fast-paced project spread over many acres, with individuals from different companies constantly requesting materials and picking through the storage yards. Before the new system was installed, delays in processing paper records and inadequate tracking details meant that items had a tendency to become lost or misplaced.
“We needed a better tracking system than Excel spreadsheets and paper,” explains Mike Toland, Equipment Material Coordinator for the project. “Paper is too cumbersome and also too limiting – you’re never able to specify all the information you need. We had heard about other industries that were using bar code systems, so we decided to investigate it for inventory tracking and see if it would work for us.”
The software behind the new inventory management system is called iTrack and is available from SyntegraTech. It consists of a master inventory database running on a desktop PC and a handheld application that mirrors the central database. For each item in inventory, the application tracks its location, condition, date/time of arrival, special handling instructions, and other details. The core program runs in Microsoft Access, while the handheld application was created using Visual CE from SYWARE. Visual CE is often used by companies to create their own custom forms, as well as by software developers like SyntegraTech.
Pop-up menus squeeze extra real estate from the handheld screen. When the user drops the handheld into its cradle, the transactions stored on the handheld are synchronized to the desktop Access database. It’s a much more efficient approach than creating paper records and keying the same data into the central computer in what amounts to a complete duplication of effort.
Handheld preloaded with new inventory data
Dick Corp. vendors supplying materials for the project submit lists of incoming items by e-mail, usually in the form of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, which is imported into the Access database. At the start of the day, Toland synchronizes the Access database to the handheld using one of the menu options on the desktop menu (Figure 1). He then goes out to the yard to receive the new material.
Figure 1: Desktop Main Menu
All items are shipped with tracking documentation, including a purchase order number, case number, or some other tracking number. This number is also part of the database record that was downloaded in advance into the desktop computer, then synchronized to the handheld. As material is unloaded, Toland looks up the tracking number on his handheld to display the complete item record. Everything he needs to know is at his fingertips: a description of the part, total number of units ordered, storage requirements, designated contractor, and so on. Toland now completes the Receipt transaction, tapping through the drop-down menus to indicate the date he received the part, its condition upon arrival, storage location, and other key details. See Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 2: Handheld Main Menu
Figure 3: Inventory Item Detail
At the end of the day (or at his convenience) Toland synchronizes the information captured on his handheld with the Access database on the desktop. He can then generate a variety of reports about the equipment received, which can be sorted by contractor, storage location, condition, or any other criteria.
Bar codes linked to database records
One of the biggest advantages of the inventory control system is the ability to track items in the database by their bar code serial number. The first step is to print a set of labels using one of the desktop menu options. Initially, bar code numbers are unassigned, similar to a new license plate that has not been assigned to a vehicle.
When he’s ready, Toland goes out to the materials yard with his handheld and labels. Using either the Receipt or Verify options on the main menu, he accesses the inventory record for a newly received item by looking up that item by the purchase order or other tracking number. He then sticks the bar code label on the part and scans the label. The scanned bar code number is entered into an input field on the handheld form and becomes part of the inventory record.
From this point on, he can scan the label to instantly access the complete inventory record for the item, and the look up process is greatly streamlined. “We can point the handheld at a part, read the bar code, and the machine tells us everything we need to know: what it is, when it got here, where it came from, and who it belongs to.”
The application also includes a Move function used to move items from location to location and issue inventory items to a contractor. At the time of issue, the record is removed from Active inventory and pushed to a History inventory so it can’t be issued again. When inventory is issued, the contractor signs for it on the handheld screen using a scribble box created using Visual CE. Their bar-coded badge is scanned to record the recipient’s ID information along with the signature. Later, when the materials supervisor runs a report of inventory issued, the contractor’s signature appears next to every inventory item received.
As Toland points out, this approach is very useful for eliminating potential controversies down the road. “Eight months later, if someone claims they never received an item, I can go to my records, and guess what: there’s his signature and his bar code. As they say in these situations, ‘Hey buddy, you own it!”
For further information, contact:
Frank Yacano, Director of Business Development
SYWARE, Inc.
PO Box 425091, Kendall
Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
Phone: +1 617.497.1300
Fax: +1 617.497.8729
Email: [email][email protected][/email]
Web: www.syware.com
- - - - - - - - - -
The above article is a paid advertisement for SYWARE and does not necessarily represent the views of Pocket PC Thoughts.
