Floor Labelling Transformation

The Challenge.

At one of its German distribution facilities, the client faced increasing issues with their aging floor location markings and labelling systems.

Key issues included:

• Faded and damaged labels causing picking delays,
• Missing location labels,
• Time to move to their new numbering scheme,

• Availability of durable solutions locally.

In a facility with thousands of SKUs moving daily, relying on quick scanning and swift movement is crucial for meeting operational metrics.  Even minor problems with damaged labels quickly diminished that capability.  The client was also in a transition period of their location naming convention, so the time was right to upgrade.

Solution Build

Fortega collated their floor label product options and sent them with instructions on how to prepare the floor surface ahead of application.  The package included:

• Adhesive plastic floor labels – A durable low-cost option which can be used as a consumable item in harsh environments.
• Aluminium label frames – Purpose designed to attached to the floor, with a label place within the frame for protection. Read about floor label frames.
• Floor Label Windows – A high-strength rigid plastic panel, engineered to limit MHE impact while protecting labels underneath. Read about floor label windows.

• Adhesive protective label covers – Thick flexible panels that sit on top of thin labels applied to the floor, adding a layer of protection to the label.

Product Preference

After a four-week trial period, where the customer had placed our samples in challenging positions throughout their facility, the verdict was in, and a winning combination was selected.

The client found the best solution for their application was to be:

Adhesive plastic floor labels

They had performed as expected and were still in place.  Minor damage had occurred, however the barcode and content were performing as required and the label was still adhered to the floor as it had been on the installation day.

The customer decided to purchase 3 sets of adhesive floor labels for their busiest areas, since the additional cost was negligible.

Adhesive label protectors

These were determined to be the perfect solution where locations were temporary and changed with volume.  The adhesive made removal easier, and the customer can produce their own labels in-house, to be used with them, allowing a quicker change time.

Fortega received an order, along with the location reference data several days later and set about creating final production proofs for 980 floor labels.

Production and installation followed soon after, along with some much-appreciated reviews from those working in the facility.  The consensus was that the picking teams were really pleased that scanning delays were now a thing of the past.  Scans are achieved on the first attempt, the labels are easy to read, and they are now hitting operational targets.

Summary.

The project succeeded because it combined durability with operational logic instead of repetition of a poor solution.

Gareth, a Director at Fortega said,

“I found the process reassuring that our floor labels impressed such a large organisation, and interesting in their choices.  They make total sense, but showed the detailed consideration and importance placed on a seemingly simple product in an expensive operation.”

The client is now working on numbers for rollout of the solution to 19 distribution centres, and manufacturing plants across Europe.

We are here.

To learn how Fortega’s product could help in your facility,

• Call 01584 542972, or

• Email info@fortega.co.uk

They will be happy to talk through your challenge, recommend ideas and develop solutions with you.