In today’s fast-paced modern era of warehousing, with inventory moving in and out with greater frequency, automated data capture based on barcode scanning is crucial to maintaining accuracy and speed.  Barcodes are a quick and accurate way to identify items so inventory tracking software can automatically update inventory records in real time. With barcode scanning, virtually every aspect of handling the inventory is faster and less prone to mistakes.  Fulfilling orders, the process of picking and packing items, is much faster with far fewer errors than with manual systems.  Counting inventory, such as cycle counts, is completed in a fraction of the time as compared to the old days of “tagging inventory”.  Receiving, moving, staging, and shipping are all done with a few quick scans in most operations.

The combination of barcode scanning and inventory control software, or a “warehouse management system” gives users throughout the enterprise, big or small, immediate, real-time visibility into inventory.  When it was received, where it was stored, how much of it is committed, and how much is available.  This information becomes available quite literally at the speed of a barcode scan.  Inventory-related decisions are made much faster and with a higher degree of accuracy and confidence.