Warehouse Management Systems (RFID)

Receiving

Proven labor savings at receiving are a big driver for organizations who are requesting or requiring their suppliers to apply RFID tags on shipments. Pallets and/or cases are automatically identified as they are unloaded from the truck using either a fixed-position RFID reader mounted at the dock door, or a mobile reader mounted on a forklift.

Receiving docks

Forklift-mounted readers are efficient because they can be used throughout the facility and typically require a smaller investment, since fixed-position readers can only monitor a
single dock door, but forklifts can service several. Data read from the pallet or case tag are transferred into the warehouse management system (WMS), updating its database. The system reconciles its orders and sends back information that will allow some items to be cross docked for immediate transport, while others can be staged and stored. If bar codes were being used here, all received items would have to be scanned, their labels clearly visible, by workers, making the process much more labor-intensive.