Packaging Corner: In-line parcel scales offer advanced connectivity options

With the tremendous growth in e-commerce and direct-to-consumer shipments, fast, accurate collection and transmission of accurate parcel weight information through an organization’s network has become critical.

That’s because today’s sophisticated parcel management software automatically associates a package’s identification code with its weight. The information is conveyed to a mainframe computer—either on-site or across the country at corporate headquarters—that determines the most cost-effective way to ship it based on distance and weight, says Mark Hudzinski, territory manager for Avery Weigh-Tronix. “Choices might include UPS, FedEx, DHL International, U.S. Postal Service or common carrier,” he says.

After passing by the scale, packages are diverted to different destinations associated with each shipper. “All of this has to happen within milliseconds, because production is all about throughput and how fast shipments can be sent out the door,” Hudzinski explains.

“The latest in-line, in-motion conveyor scales can collect a parcel’s weight at speeds as fast as 100 milliseconds,” says Ron Adams, Avery Weigh-Tronix’s sales manager. “They can weigh up to 200 parcels a minute.”

To capture each parcel’s weight, in-line, in-motion electronic conveyor scales consist of two parts: a weighing mechanism and an indicator that displays and transmits the information. By U.S. law, all scale components—including those that transfer data—must be National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) certified (other countries follow similar standards). This ensures that an industrial device provides an accurate measurement of any item sold by weight, making it legal for trade.

The latest indicators provide multiple modes of connectivity, says Adams. “We now offer five different ways to connect our devices: Ethernet, USB, RS232 serial ports, Bluetooth wireless and analog.”

The different connectivity modes ensure that an indicator can communicate its captured weight data with both old and new technologies, including bar code readers, printers, and local and global data management networks. Ethernet is the most common these days, adds Hudzinski, because it supports network visibility for managers at all levels of an organization. “The data is critical for record keeping, to maximize cost efficiencies, and to give management a detailed overview of shipping productivity from any location,” he says.

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