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Hello! I’m Roi: Ready to Fit RFID into Your Operations?

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Avalon Integration has a wide variety of technology solutions that establish clients’ competitive edge, which is why I am overjoyed to introduce you to the latest and best tracking solution in the new digital age – RFID Locationing.

Tracking assets, personnel, inventory, and more RFID Locationing can maximize your return of investment by monitoring your most precious resources as they move through complex supply chains and workflows. Moreover, unlike legacy systems, RFID is adaptable to fit a multitude of unique industries such as:

  • Manufacturing
  • Warehousing and Distribution
  • Transportation and Logistics
  • Healthcare Asset Tracking
  • Public Safety
  • Retail and Storefronts
  • Sports Analytics
  • And many more

As your guide to maximized ROI, I’d like to take you deeper into the countless opportunities enhanced visibility brings to your business. Shall we get started?

Assess Your Gains

MC3390R and RFID to Assess Your Gains

MC3390R and RFID to Assess Your Gains

Lack of visibility contributes to numerous operational inefficiencies. For example, manual data entry -which relies heavily on human effort for accuracy- can misdirect order fulfillment, leading a customer to receive the wrong product, impacting brand identity, and resulting in return fees. When it comes to public safety, unclear visibility can contribute to longer response times and impaired dispatch accountability. In other words, maximized visibility results in maximized efficiency, satisfaction, and safety. However, don’t just take my word for it. See how RFID is changing industries worldwide.

  • Manufacturing — RFID tags can be used to store multiple codes identifying particular parts and easing traceability down a production line. Furthermore, with Zebra’s RFID on-metal solution, tags can now identify metal components throughout production.
  • Warehousing and Distribution — Long-range scanners minimize worker strain while capturing codes as far as 60ft away with ease. Plus, Zebra Technologies’ RFID scanners are built to thrive in harsh conditions, retaining optimal functionality in extreme temperatures, falls, and scratches.
  • Transportation and Logistics — Increasing order accuracy by nearly 100%, RFID automates order verification with just a scan when implemented on the shipping dock.
  • Healthcare Asset Tracking — In healthcare, misplaced items can hinder patient care as medical staff must pause to search for their tools. Studies suggest that only 42% of medical assets are used efficiently. Real-time locationing empowers staff to find their crucial assets in a timely fashion to deliver better care to their patients.
  • Public Safety — When it comes to protecting our communities, visibility is key. By incorporating RFID tracking in daily operations, officers can better assess dispatch needs and set higher accountability standards for deployed teams.
  • Retail and Storefronts – Product shrinkage can drain over $40 billion dollars from the retail economy. To prevent product shrinkage near points of sales, RFID antennas and tags work together to monitor inventory as they come and go into the store, giving managers a clear view of their stock’s movement.

From tracking thrown footballs in real-time, to preventing lost pets, to assisting in utility operations, RFID has many uses, each with their unique benefits. Come explore your next locationing solution with me, and enhance your operations with a new standard of efficient visibility.

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Are You Working in a Dark Warehouse?

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E-commerce and the drive for personalization are adding to the complexity of today’s operations. Modern-day customers expect a unique shopping experience centered on their needs as well as faster delivery anytime and anywhere they desire. As a result, warehouses and distribution centers must adapt to meet demands. According to Zebra’s 2019 Warehousing Vision Study, 79% of organizations plan on expanding size within the next two years. Once devoid of large warehouses, bustling urban areas like New York City have seen an exponential rise in new warehouse leases as companies scramble to get closer to customers to provide better (and faster) service. As extreme as these efforts may sound, they all depend on a crucial factor: visibility.

Managing stock quantities, labor efficiency, and asset usage, visibility solutions such as RFID tracking, Internet of Things, and Blockchain can optimize your workflow. Implementing solutions like these and more for over twenty years, Avalon Integration has seen up close how greater operational intelligence changes businesses by:

  • Connecting disparate teams within your supply chain through accessible data
  • Providing trackable purchase and shipping patterns in and out of peak seasons
  • Delivering manageable collected data to create a more personalized customer experience
  • Reducing bottlenecks and inefficient labor through greater device availability

However, before experiencing any of these reliefs, one must start by identifying the warehouse’s dark spots.

Signs You’re Working the “Dark”

Dark Empty Warehouse Interior

Signs You’re Working in a Dark Warehouse

While every business is intrinsically unique, there are a few common consequences to the lack of transparent visibility which can suggest your workforce is operating in the dark.

  • Stocked inventory seems to be recurrently out of place or difficult to find, causing order fulfillment processes to stall.
  • Order accuracy is difficult to maintain as inventory is wrongly picked. Consequently, more inaccurate orders are returned, clogging up your reverse logistics processes.
  • Workers take too long to accomplish tasks either because of bottlenecks or missing crucial assets.
  • Necessary devices such as printers, scanners, and forklifts, are rarely located close to where they are most needed, increasing worker travel time.

Turn on the Light with Zebra RFID

Turn on the Light with Zebra RFID to help with a Dark Warehouse

Zebra’s next generation of RFID technology.

Out of the many locationing solutions available today, we are excited to recommend Zebra’s next generation of RFID technology as an enterprise-ready and efficient tracking solution. Maximizing visibility with rugged handheld scanners and high-accuracy antennas, Zebra RFID can track moving assets and inventory, empowering you with manageable and intelligent insight into your everyday operations.  

As a proud Zebra Premier Solutions Partner, Avalon Integration offers complete RFID solutions, from software implementation to testing, to maintenance. Integrate modernized visibility with:

  • Pretested rugged RFID labels
  • Adaptable RFID industrial printers
  • Highly ergonomic handheld readers
  • High-capacity reader antennas

It’s not too late to see these technologies in action. Contact us for an RFID demonstration at your convenience with our automation specialists to enhance your operations from the inside out.

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Good-Bye Windows: Welcome Opportunities with Android

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With the close of the decade comes the close of the Microsoft era. As of January 1st, Microsoft has ended its support for Windows’ mobile operating systems which have powered enterprise technology for decades. Although support for Windows 7 will continue until 2021, Avalon Integration is already exploring several ways in which Android empowers the workforce to thrive in the face of the industry’s most notorious demands. 

The MC9300 uses Android to scan in any Environment

The MC9300 uses Android to scan in any Environment

Zebra researchers have uncovered numerous challenges to be expected within the coming months. As technology continues to advance and social media platforms become ever more prolific, the rise of e-commerce will contribute directly to the 76% increase in ordered assets, which leads to more deployed devices and a greater need for efficient long-term labor. Paired with the rising labor costs across the nation, the labor shortage has also led to higher turnover rates. In the end, the 2020’s top challenges can be summarized in:

  • Rise in omnichannel retail
  • Inefficient labor retention
  • Compressed logistics operations

Fortunately, Android operating systems have been thoroughly enhanced by both Zebra Technologies and Google to fit into the enterprise landscape.

Android is Ready. Are You?

The MC9300 uses Android to versatile for anywhere and everywhere

The MC9300 uses Android for anywhere you need it

When done correctly, OS migration can be seamless and profitable. As a Zebra Premier Solutions Partner, Avalon Integration provides all the resources needed to help you catch up with change without impacting productivity. As Zebra’s OS of choice, Android integrates efficiency by:

  • Delivering much-needed security: Within the first six months of 2019 alone, there were over 3,000 publicly disclosed data breaches. As the risk of cyberthreats grows exponentially, Android is refined for enterprise with government-grade encryption and Zebra’s LifeGuard, which delivers 90-day security patches and automatic silent OS updates.  
  • Implementing familiarity: There were over 2 billion monthly active Android consumer devices worldwide in 2017 alone. As one of the top operating systems in the world, Android simplifies the user experience, lowering training times since the interface is already familiar to workers. 
  • Accommodating the next generation of productivity technology: From the latest ultra-rugged designs such as the MC9300 to native productivity applications like Mobility DNA, Android powers the latest technology designed for faster operations, accurate order fulfillment, and increased warehouse visibility from packing to shipping.

Despite the new year, it’s still not too late to migrate. Ease into a new operating system, designed for enterprise efficiency when you create your modernization strategy with Avalon Integration. Count on two decades of experience and in-depth assistance while securing productivity with solutions tailored to your needs. 

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Tips and Hints: How Fast Becomes Faster

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Today’s supply chains are fast, but in a world where you can have designer shoes delivered by a flying drone in less than 30 minutes, the question remains: How much faster can the modern workflow get? Between new delivery services, changing social platforms, and revolutionary technology, the on-demand market becomes increasingly more demanding as customers expect faster service.

Serving a wide range of clients across the U.S., Avalon Integration is well aware of the increasing demands made on today’s warehouses. Integrating solutions in businesses both big and small, we can share tips and hints on how warehouses across the globe are turning fast into faster.

Peel and Present Labels Faster

Every Change Counts

Since there are several shapes and sizes to today’s warehouses, it’s only natural that several optimizing strategies have gained popularity worldwide. A few common strategies include:

  • Moving closer to customers – While costly and generally reserved for larger enterprises, moving warehouses and distribution centers closer to customers drastically reduce shipping times, giving companies a higher competitive edge. Furthermore, changes within the U.S. economy (import tariffs, lower tax rates, etc.) have also driven companies to consider new warehouse locations, possibly contributing to the 3372 new private warehouses built within the last decade alone.
  • Investing in automation – Reducing inaccurate order processing from picking to shipping, automated workflows can save companies millions of dollars from return fees, lost assets, and human error. Automation leader, Zebra Technologies reports that 61% of warehouses are already equipping workforces with automated processes designed to maximize accuracy and productivity without overworking employees. Moreover, less worker stress leads to lower turnover rates, saving operations from costly downtime and employee burnout.
  • Expanding inventory visibility – Integrating small changes, such as environment-resistant labels or large-scale RFID solutions, allows workers to quickly locate assets. This ultimately decreases wait times while capturing actionable data. From long-range readers to the latest RFID on-metal solutions, Avalon partners with Zebra to provide an end-to-end visibility solution that elevates productivity.Peel Labels Faster and Present Them
  • Maximizing worker mobility – Faster supply chains mean your workers are moving faster throughout the warehouse. Consequently, crucial warehouse technology much is ergonomic and versatile enough to preserve mobility. Devices such as Zebra’s MC9300 or TC77 are perfect examples of how multiple functions can be combined into one ergonomic device, helping workers complete different tasks without hauling several devices with them.
  • Simplifying “easy” operations – Lastly, in a supply chain, every little task counts; therefore, efficiency should never be spared. In other words, just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be better. For example, small tasks such as label application can be optimized to cut time spent labeling. Want a closer look? Check out the video below:

Innovation always continues to move forward. While we may not be able to build a brand-new warehouse, Avalon Integration can build optimization strategies centered on your workflow challenges. Stay ahead of the on-demand market when you start your optimization solution with the leaders in efficient innovation.

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