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ADC at the NSA

"It's no secret -- bar codes save the federal government time and money".

The following is a condensed excerpt from an article published in the November 1997 issue of ID Systems magazine.

Bar coding is a vital component of a recently installed real-time automated Warehouse Management System (WMS) that just became operational at the National Security Agency (NSA). Previously, workers tracked products by physically counting and manually verifying counts at each step in the receive, putaway, pick, pack, and ship processes. Paper records of product status and location were collected into batches and input into an inventory by data entry clerks. As a result, inventory errors were common and products were easily misplaced.

The WMS is a customized version of RT Systems Inc.'s RT LOCATOR system. It uses networked Gateway 2000 computers with a Windows 95 interface to an Informix SQL database running on a Windows NT server, a Norand spread spectrum RF network, Norand hand-held RF terminals configured with 2D CCD scanners, Symbol Technologies wedge scanners, Weigh-Tronix bench scales, Zebra thermal transfer label printers, and Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers.

When the truck arrives at the warehouse with production material, the driver uses an RF terminal to scan the license-plate bar code corresponding to the entire receipt. The WMS, which was expecting the shipment as a result of the ASN, responds with a putaway location. Bar codes identify each location. The driver moves the skid to the putaway location and scans the location bar code and the skid ID bar code, completing the putaway transaction. The driver then moves on the next pallet and starts the process again.

When orders for products are received, the WMS prioritizes the orders and sets up batches of orders based upon order priority and product location. Each item in the warehouse is bar coded to insure accurate picking and packing confirmation. When a picker is ready for a new batch, the pick function is selected from a menu on an RF terminal. The system responds with the highest priority pick batch, telling the picker where to go, and what to pick. The picker goes to that location, scans the location, scans the items being picked, and scans the totes the parts are placed into. Only one order can be placed in a tote, but an order is able to fit into more than one tote, depending on the size of the order.

After the picks are completed, the totes are taken to the pack stage area, where each tote is scanned before being placed on a conveyor, which takes the totes to the packing station area.

There are several pack stations. As totes arrive in the packing area a worker scans the tote using a wedge scanner, and the PC displays other totes associated with that order in the scanned tote. The packer scans the items as they are removed from the tote and packed into the shipping box. When the box is completely packed, the operator requests shipping labels and the system generates 2" by 6" bar coded address labels that include the "ship to" information, weight, and license-plate ID number in human and machine readable format. Also generated are 2" by 6" content labels that include a description of all items in the shipping carton, individual item identification numbers, and information indicating where the items were produced. The label format was developed internally and has become a standard used by the NSA and its customers. When an order is completely packaged, it is sent down a conveyor to shipping area.

Operators scan the individual shipping-box address labels as they take them from the conveyor and place them on shipping pallets. Orders are staged in the shipping area based upon the carrier who will be transporting the order. When the pallet is full, it is shrink-wrapped and labeled with two bar codes, one containing "ship to" information and the second indicating the weight of each pallet. The system prints a packing list for each pallet and a shipping manifest for the specific carrier, formatted as requested by the carrier.

Orders that are ready for shipment are moved to a holding area until the carrier's truck arrives. Then, the driver scans the pallet ID and then loads the material onto his truck and takes the paperwork for the shipment. At this time, none of the carriers has electronic links to the WMS, so no ASN's are generated. One carrier does receive a floppy disk with a complete inventory of the itemsin that shipment and that information is subsequently loaded into the shipper's system upon arrival.

The investment for automating the production and warehouse systems has paid big dividends in manpower savings, production control, and product tracking within the agency. In addition, it has enabled the agency to participate in a cost-saving consolidation of Army, Navy, and Air Force warehousing and distribution.