An ecommerce fulfillment center relied on manual dimensioning at its outbound pack stations to prepare parcels for shipping.
Warehouse associates had to measure parcels, enter the dimensions, and move that data into the existing order management workflow. As the operation grew, the same process added more work at each station and made consistent parcel data harder to maintain.
The fulfillment center needed to automate dimension capture without replacing the systems and weighing hardware already supporting its shipping process.
The new solution also had to fit within limited pack-station space and handle most of the SKU sizes moving through the operation.
Where Was Manual Measurement Creating Extra Work?
Parcel measurement depended on warehouse associates capturing dimensions and entering the values into the existing workflow.
That created additional handling at the pack station. Inaccurate dimensions also affected customer billing, while parcel data was needed by downstream processes such as cartonization.
The operation needed a more consistent way to capture shipment data without adding another process for associates to manage.
Why Did the Existing Process Stop Working?
The manual process became harder to support as the fulfillment center needed to process more orders.
Warehouse associates were spending time measuring parcels and manually uploading measurement data. At the same time, the business needed a dimensioning system that worked with its existing WMS, weighing scale, and data architecture without requiring extensive IT resources.
The problem was no longer only measurement. The new system had to fit the entire pack-station workflow.
What Changed at the Pack Station?
The fulfillment center implemented vMeasure Parcel Ultima at its outbound station and customized the workflow around its existing operation.
The system covered approximately 95% of the customer’s SKU sizes, so most parcels moving through the station could be measured with the same device. The existing weighing scale stayed in place, and customized webhook payloads sent the captured data into the customer’s system with minimal work from its IT staff.
The compact device also fit within the available pack-station workspace.
| Before vMeasure | After vMeasure |
|---|---|
|
Measure parcels manually |
Capture dimensions automatically |
|
Enter and upload measurement data |
Transfer data into the existing workflow |
|
Handle dimensioning and weighing separately |
Use the existing weighing scale within the workflow |
|
Depend on manual measurement consistency |
Standardize dimension capture |
|
Add work at the pack station |
Capture parcel data within the packing process |
What Improved After Automated Dimensioning?
Once the new workflow was in place, warehouse associates no longer had to stop and manually measure each parcel or upload the measurement data into the WMS.
Dimension data moved directly into the existing workflow, giving the fulfillment center a more consistent record for customer billing and other downstream shipping processes.
Parcel images were saved with each scan for order verification. The captured dimensions also went to the existing cartonization software, which used that data to recommend the appropriate package size.
The fulfillment center improved its dimensioning process without replacing the systems already supporting outbound operations.
Why Did This Change Matter?
The fulfillment center did not need a completely new shipping workflow. It needed to remove manual dimensioning from a process that was already in place.
By integrating automated dimension capture with its existing scale, software, and pack-station workflow, the operation reduced manual work and created a more repeatable way to capture parcel data.
For fulfillment centers facing similar measurement, workspace, or integration requirements, automated dimensioning offers a practical way to improve parcel data capture without rebuilding the outbound process.
Talk to the dimensioning experts
Explore how vMeasure Parcel dimensioner fits into your parcel measurement workflow.
Book a demo to discuss a similar setup for your operation.
What do our customers say?
"…They are now indispensable components in our shipping process and have allowed us to predict shipping costs accurately…"
Bargain Book Stores
"...vMeasure provided excellent support throughout the product integration process, with readily available and effective after-sales assistance…"
Holisol
"...With vMeasure, we were able to take the cloud-based solution literally under a day and under a far more achievable budget..."
Pidge