How Proper Label Controls Can Help Your Manufacturing Plant

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manufacturing label control

From nutrition labels to warning labels and address labels to shipping labels, those sticky pieces of paper are pervasive in our everyday lives. And let’s not forget to mention the importance of labels and, more specifically, proper label controls when running a modern manufacturing facility. From business showstoppers such as compliance issues to the mis-shipment of products, improper labeling can genuinely affect a manufacturers’ bottom line.

Benefits of a Manufacturing Label Control Application

A Tier 1 automotive supplier lacked proficient label controls. Mislabeled parts meant mismatched items on the pallet, which resulted in shipment of the wrong products time and again. As a result, the manufacturer first received costly warnings and then ultimately lost its lucrative automotive contract.

This automotive supplier is not alone. Many manufacturers experience challenges with labeling, but a comprehensive labeling application with features specific to your manufacturing industry can help you overcome the common pain points. Eliminate labeling headaches with tools that allow you to:

  • Create customer-specific labels with individualized barcodes
  • Easily print different sized or colored labels for quick part identification and differentiation between similar parts
  • Handle multiple label types, including product, container, shipping and mix-load labels
  • Eliminate the repacking of pallets due to mismatched items
  • Achieve comprehensive compliance (FDA, ISO, CFIA and AIAG) with forward and reverse lot tracking from the initial setup to finished product and back
  • Deploy label sequencing capabilities (such as line side labeling, assembly line control and in-line vehicle sequencing) so you can automatically print accurate labels on the shop floor as the products are being produced and the boxes filled
  • Make your customers happy (and retain them for the long term) with accurate shipments every time
  • Gain both serialized and non-serialized inventory control support
  • Automatically print the correct label every time based on work order, work center or production

You’ve heard the labeling horror story, now let’s take a look at a success story from an IQMS customer:

Custom Profile is a profile extruder based in Grand Rapids, Michigan and has been an IQMS customer since 2002. Upon implementing IQMS’ robust warehouse management system (WMS), Custom Profile virtually eliminated shipping errors. By equipping personnel with hand-held scanners and labeling inventory items accurately with barcodes, Custom Profile increased its on-time delivery rate to an impressive 99.99% percent (only one late customer shipment in 2011) and has experienced zero shipping errors due to incorrect items or quantities being shipped in the past three years. Click here to read the success story in its entirety.

Accurate, traceable label controls are not outside of your reach! With proper labeling controls and tools in place, you can ensure more accurate inventory control and supply chain management across your shop floor.

IQMS

For more than 25 years, IQMS has been designing and developing manufacturing ERP software for the repetitive, process and discrete industries. Today, IQMS provides a comprehensive real-time ERP software and MES solution to the automotive, medical, packaging, consumer goods and other manufacturing markets. The extended single-database enterprise software solution, EnterpriseIQ, offers a scalable system designed to grow with the client and complete business functionality, including accounting, quality control, supply chain, shop floor, CRM and eBusiness. With offices across North America, Europe and Asia, IQMS serves manufacturers around the world. For more information, please visit iqms.com.