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How KnarrTek Tracks Inventory, Assets, and other Materials

LPN Tracking

Unlike ERP and other WMS systems, which track inventory by location, KnarrTek's Inventory, asset and materials tracking solutions, which are based on the BellHawk software,  track containers of material. These methods are used by FedEx and UPS to track their parcels. They are also the basis of the GS1 standard for tracking materials in the Global Supply Chain.

The principle of container-based tracking is that a unique barcode or RFID tag is applied to the container at point of origin and then all the data about the contents of the container is entered once. Thereafter the container is tracked by scanning the barcode or RFID tag to record the new location of each container as it is moved.

This enables BellHawk to be used to track containers of material and serialized items in great detail, for operational use, and yet allows managers to have an overview of inventory in stock and allocated to jobs, as well as available inventory for operations management purposes.

Container-based-tracking is sometimes called License-Plate-Number (LPN) container tracking. LPN tracking gets its name from the registry of motor vehicles, where they issue you with a license-plate for your new car or truck. This license-plate has a state of issue and a set of letters and numbers that uniquely identify the vehicle, but otherwise do not contain any information about the vehicle. All that information is stored in an electronic database, where it is readily available.

Container Tracking

The same applies to license-plate-number tracking barcodes applied to containers in BellHawk.

Here a unique tracking barcode is applied to each container, or individual part that is to be tracked and all the details about the contents of the container are captured when the container is first entered into inventory. This data may include: part number, quantity, lot number, expiration date, supplier, location, as well as user defined parameters such as size and color.

Container Tracking

The tracking barcode label that is applied to each container can be as simple as a uniquely numbered barcode peeled off a roll of pre-printed barcodes, such as shown at left, for use within your own plant, or as complex as a GS1 standard SSCC barcode, printed using BellHawk, to uniquely identify a pallet or other shipping container in the global supply chain, as shown on the container above right.

Please note that the contents of the database record describing each container is dynamic, so that the barcode label does not need to be changed whenever the quantity of materials in the container is changed. Also the current location of the container can be changed simply by scanning the tracking barcode and recording the new location.

In BellHawk this tracking is done by applying a unique location barcode to each rack, shelf, and floor location.

Container Tracking

Then, whenever a container is moved, the license-plate tracking barcode on the container is scanned along with the location barcode on the shelf, rack, or floor location to which its is moved.

In this way BellHawk knows where every container of materials is at all times and is able to provide this information in real-time to users of the BellHawk system. Also, when total quantities of inventory in stock can be quickly reported by simply adding up the quantity of materials in all the containers of each part, wherever they are located.

Please click on the following link to learn how KnarrTek has extended the principles of container tracking to include Nested Container Tracking.

Please click here to learn more about the Advantages of Container Based Tracking.

Please click here to learn how KnarrTek extends License-Plate-Number Tracking methods to include full Industrial Warehouse Management System Capabilities.

Please click here for a detailed overview of KnarrTek's BellHawk Software.


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Copyright © KnarrTek Inc. 2024
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About KnarrTek Copyright © KnarrTek Inc. 2024 Cost Savings