Re: Achieving Shipping Compliance at Remote Locations

I wrote a custom app that does almost exactly what you describe, about 7
years ago. Unfortunately, it was for a customer and I have no access to the
source.

I used Visual Basic on a PC. The PC had a keyboard wedge for a scanner, I
think, which was used for UPS tracking numbers mostly. There was also a
serial connection with a scale (called an indicator, IIRC). They would put
a box on the scale and then request the info over the connection. I think I
used some kind of COMM VBX. Fields were filled in from the order entry
database on the 400. I used a record-level access DLL called OPNAccess, I
think.. Ended up writing my first C++ app, a VBX wrapper to the dll, so I
would not keep having errors of not initializing variables properly for the
dll. Various lables were printed, a manifest was the result of the day's
work, etc. Saved 'em $70k a year at just one shipping station, because it
eliminated so much duplicated effort and needless inefficiencies.

You could use ODBC for data access, or ASNA's record-level thing, or Client
Access' OCX's or ??? Then you need the input from scanner and scale. I
think those might require a PC, so that'd add to cost.

HTH a little

Vern

At 08:38 AM 8/7/02 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi Everyone,
>
>We have several small plants around the country where product is
>manufactured and shipped to customers.  That is all they do, produce and
>ship.  All other functions (order taking, invoicing, EDI, etc.) are handled
>here.
>
>Up to now, we have been able to meet shipping compliance demands (labeling,
>ASNs, etc.) from our customers by knowing ahead of time exactly what was
>going to ship when and how, printing the labels here and shipping them to
>the plant to be used.  But we are now getting into a Pick and Pack type
>situation where we don't necessarily know what is going into which box.
>
>I need to come up with an economical solution at the remote plants with the
>following features:
>- somehow receive order data from our AS/400
>- print pick lists
>- scan items as it is put in the box
>- print labels in compliance with each customers requirements
>- print packing lists, bills of lading, and other paperwork in compliance
>with each customers requirements
>- somehow send the shipped data back to our AS/400 for further processing
>
>Software on our AS/400 is in-house written, so we should be able to
>interface with most anything.  There are no technical people or computers at
>the remote plants.
>
>I am looking for recommendations of canned solutions that you think will
>work for us.
>
>Thanks!
>Rick
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>This is the Midrange Systems Technical Discussion (MIDRANGE-L) mailing list
>To post a message email: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
>To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change list options,
>visit: http://lists.midrange.com/cgi-bin/listinfo/midrange-l
>or email: MIDRANGE-L-request@midrange.com
>Before posting, please take a moment to review the archives
>at http://archive.midrange.com/midrange-l.