Dimensioners at the price of a coffee per day

Case Study

How a 3PL improved its packaging through better volume calculation with automated dimensioning?

Industry
3PL – Third-Party Logistics Provider
Product

Dimensional Shipping System

Process

Outbound Logistics
Use case
Package Volume
Integration
Warehouse Management System 

Case Study Summary

The client is an end-to-end supply chain solution provider who implemented vMeasure dimensioner at their outbound station to dimension wide range of SKUs from across industries such as Healthcare, Automotive, FMCG, and consumer durables to name a few.

The vMeasure team enabled accurate volume calculation and consumer name selection with custom workflows on the vMeasure Dimensioner integrated with the Warehouse Management System (WMS).

Post the installation, the parcel auditing and inventory management became accurate and synchronized actual data between inbound and outbound process.

Problems faced by the Client

Greenhouse effects

The firm had to deal with the inaccurate dims that led to dissimilar and uneven carton packaging that predominantly influenced carbon emissions.

Lack of Automation

Rather building the rapport, the firm faced difficulties in maintaining customer relation due to lack of automation.

Frequent returns

The rate of damaged and disfigured units increased returns paving way for higher operational costs.

Vulnerable Fragile Goods

Lack of SKU management forced blind put-aways and irregular arrangement, creating a vulnerability for fragile goods.

Unused Full Capacity

The loading for transportation was done in either head-on-head congested or spacious manner that in between cubic spaces can be neither be filled nor removed.

Packaging Mismatch

Some dispatched parcels were sent with either oversized packaging or undersized packaging due to insufficient dimensional information for that specific order.

Limited Attributes

With their existing system, the team couldn’t integrate with the contemporary WMS due to complexities and limited resources.

Optimal only at present

The current system had features that could comprehend well with the current operations, but not with their future plans.

Data loss

There was loss of data at times from their management system that led to chain reaction of losing SKU profiles.

Business Problems
Greenhouse effects

The firm had to deal with the inaccurate dims that led to dissimilar and uneven carton packaging that predominantly influenced carbon emissions.

Lack of Automation

Rather building the rapport, the firm faced difficulties in maintaining customer relation due to lack of automation.

Frequent returns

The rate of damaged and disfigured units increased returns paving way for higher operational costs.

Logistics Problems
Vulnerable Fragile Goods

Lack of SKU management forced blind put-aways and irregular arrangement, creating a vulnerability for fragile goods.

Unused Full Capacity

The loading for transportation was done in either head-on-head congested or spacious manner that in between cubic spaces can be neither be filled nor removed.

Packaging Mismatch

Some dispatched parcels were sent with either oversized packaging or undersized packaging due to insufficient dimensional information for that specific order.

IT Problems
Limited Attributes

With their existing system, the team couldn’t integrate with the contemporary WMS due to complexities and limited resources.

Optimal only at present

The current system had features that could comprehend well with the current operations, but not with their future plans.

Data loss

There was loss of data at times from their management system that led to chain reaction of losing SKU profiles.

Why did the customer choose vMeasure dimensional shipping system over other dimensioners?

Though SKUs were roughly oriented around the weighing platform, vMeasure provided precise dim characteristics with <1 second.

The dependency and reliability on vMeasure stayed intact as it dimensioned almost every SKU the customer had.

vMeasure assisted in customizing their interface with added customer name selection and volume unit.

With minimal time and effort from the customer’s IT team, the vMeasure integration with their existing WMS was complete.

The customer was able to select and map each order with their customer through the custom workflow.

Any addition of custom workflows could be done easily since it worked on a no-code basis.

Flaunting its compact-built structure, vMeasure never compromised its efficiency. Instead, it provided higher accuracy with smaller footprint.

The user can assemble, setup, and make the first dimension within 20 minutes.

Dimensioning Capability

vMeasure Dimensioner covered all the product/SKU sizes which need to be dimensioned within <1 sec

The accuracy and repeatability metrics of the product exceeded the expectations of the Operations teams, providing reliable and consistent results.

Software Integration

A seamless integration between vMeasure and the warehouse management system of the client was achieved without disrupting existing workflows.

The IT team was relieved to see the simplicity of the integration, as they did not have to invest extensive resource or time in it.

Physical Characteristics

vMeasure Dimensioner was small and compact, so the warehouse worker had more room to move around.

With minimal parts and a straightforward design, installation took only 20 minutes.

Cost

vMeasure emerged as the clear winner in terms of cost-effectiveness for the company, beating out the competition.

The price gap between vMeasure and its next cheapest choice was as much as 60%.

How did the client benefit from vMeasure dimensional shipping system?

No more rush hour in the outbound station as the warehouse associates took less time dimensioning with vMeasure, increasing the throughput rate.

Shipping costs reduced i.e., by calculating the precise dim for a SKU and its carton, no extra charges were levied to the payment.

The management was able to make informed decisions on how to reduce the environmental impact of shipments, improving the company’s sustainability profile.

Customer satisfaction increased as damaged order count drastically decreased.

The orders were packed and shipped to the right addresses due to the precise order verification.

By calculating volume, all SKU units were packed with edge-edge carton packaging that terminated wastage and over-usage of them.

The WMS, armed with accurate dimensions, made the put away process in accordance with the SKU nature and specifications that prevented product damage.

The integrated workflow comprehended well with their existing system to uphill productivity with added time-saving factor as expected.

Due to its modest size, the device took up less space in the pack station with no compromise over its performance.

Automated dimensioning data upload enhanced the morale of the workers.

The automated process made every packaging and shipping free from error and inaccuracy.

With the integrated advanced workflow, the parcels reached the outbound station quicker than the regular phase, all set to ship and reduced the need for paperwork.

What makes vMeasure the only vMeasure dimensional shipping system capable of solving your needs?

vMeasure is an highly adaptable dimensioning as a service solution which can capture the height, length, width, weight and image of the parcel/SKU in <1 second.
vMeasure Parcel Ultima Specifications
Minimum Dimensions
(L – W – H​)
1.2 x 1.2 x 0.8 in*
3 x 3 x 2 cm
(* For items below 0.8 inches in height, a special envelope base plate is required)
Maximum Dimensions
(L – W – H​)
39.4 x 29.5 x 17.7 in​
100 x 75 x 45 cm
Accuracy
Cubes/Cuboids – 0.2 in / 0.5 cm​
Other Objects – 0.4 in / 1 cm
Mounted on
Table / Mobile Cart / Mechanical Conveyor
Data captured
  • Annotated SKU/Parcel image​
  • Additional SKU/Parcel image​
  • Custom fields for additional data capture during measurement
* For items below 0.8 inches in height, a special envelope base plate is required​
vMeasure Parcel Ultima Specifications
Minimum Dimensions
(L – W – H​)
2 x 2 x 2 in​
5 x 5 x 5 cm
Maximum Dimensions
(L – W – H​)
53.1 x 41.3 x 33.5 in
135 x 105 x 85 cm
Accuracy
0.4 in / 1 cm
Mounted on
Table / Mobile Cart / Mechanical Conveyor
Data captured
  • Annotated image
  • Multiple angles of SKU/Parcel
  • Custom fields for additional data capture during measurement​
vMeasure Parcel Ultima Specifications
Minimum Dimensions
(L – W – H​)
3.9 x 3.9 x 3.9 in​
10 x 10 x 10 cm
Maximum Dimensions
(L – W – H​)
78.7 x 59.1 x 55.1 in​
200 x 150 x 140 cm
Accuracy
0.6 in / 1.5 cm​
Mounted on
Floor / Mechanical Conveyor
Data captured
  • Annotated image
  • Multiple angles of SKU/Parcel
  • Custom fields for additional data capture during measurement
What are you waiting for?
Start Dimensioning at the cost of a coffee per day!
Talk to Sales

Request Free Trial