Case Studies

Innophos’ Expanded Partnership Increases Productivity and Improves Safety

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Innophos, the world’s leading producer of chemical grade phosphates, develops solutions to enhance the quality and performance of products for a wide variety of applications, including water, horticulture, electronics, textiles, food, pharmaceuticals, detergents, and paper and metal treatment.

To improve its data collection process, Innophos upgraded from its legacy Intermec solution to CK31 mobile computers equipped with the EX25 scan engine. “We needed an updated solution that could continue to grow with our operation,” said Mike Malone, director of IT, Innophos. “We were very pleased with our previous Intermec solution and wanted to further invest in the relationship. The Intermec CK31 offered us the flexibility and real-time information necessary to improve our supply chain efficiency.”

Expanded Partnership with Intermec

Innophos expanded its partnership with Intermec not only for the advanced functionality and ergonomics of the CK31, but for the value-added knowledge, expertise and superior service provided by the Intermec team. Furthermore, the transition to the CK31 was virtually seamless allowing Innophos to save significant time and money for the company since no retraining was required. The new solution operates with the same interface as the previous solution, making the transition for employees straightforward and uncomplicated. “The installation and implementation went exceptionally smoothly,” Malone said. “Intermec provided us with the outstanding expertise and support we have come to know and expect to get our new solution up and running efficiently.”

Long-range Scanning Improves Efficiency and Safety in the Warehouse

Since deployment, overall efficiency and safety in the warehouse has improved significantly. In the distribution center, pallets are often piled high and employees must maneuver through the warehouse on forklifts, scanning location tags more than 50 feet away.

The CK31 mobile computer with the EX25 imager can read a bar code ranging from six inches to 50 feet away, ensuring that employees can work directly from the forklift, reducing the risk of falling. Additionally, the EX25 imager provides the company with auto-focus technology that enables it to read virtually any kind of bar code in any orientation, allowing Innophos to meet its scanning needs more efficiently. The fact that it can read a code from multiple directions also eliminates the need for employees to maneuver in order to directly align the scanner with the bar code. These features provide employees more freedom and flexibility on the warehouse floor.

“The EX25 scan engine gives us the extended range to scan any location tag in the warehouse,” Malone said. “The imager instantly picks up the bar code enabling our employees to collect data much faster, more easily.”

Reducing Errors while Increasing Productivity

Another advantage since implementing the CK31 is the ability to effectively scan through shrink wrap. Previously, the scanners could not always read data through the heavy wrap, causing employees to manually key in the information. This became a growing issue since 90 percent of the stock in the warehouse is shrink wrapped. By manually keying in data, error rates rose significantly and manual data entry became a timeconsuming hassle for employees.

With the new mobile computer, the imager captures data through shrink wrap in one quick motion, eliminating the burden of manually keying in lengthy SKU numbers. As a result, there has been a reduction in the error rate and employees’ productivity has increased.

“Since deploying the CK31, employees comment on how they love the new mobile computers because they are so much easier to use and get the job done faster,” Malone added. “The CK31 mobile computer combined with the EX25 imager allows us to execute all of our data collection needs with one, easy-to-use device.”