Salt and pepper, Bonnie and Clyde, keys and locks - there are pairs that simply belong together. Digital asset managers have a pair like that too: labels and scanners. One is pretty lost and useless without the other. Many digital asset managers have apps nowadays that can work easily with a smartphone camera. While those apps usually work well, some companies choose to use industrial scanners instead.
We at seventhings often get asked whether a company should invest in industrial scanners or not. The answer is always: It depends. In order to help you with your decision, we've gathered all the things you need to know about industrial scanners here. In this article you'll find out...
… what industrial scanners are.
… what these scanners are used for.
… what these scanners can cost.
… when it's worthwhile to invest in one.
... what the final conclusion is.
An industrial scanner is a scanner that can read different barcodes and 2D-codes. They usually work via infrared light. There are different types of industrial scanners: People differenciate between stationary and handheld devices and hardwired or Wi-Fi/Bluetooth scanners. For digital asset management softwares, handheld Wi-Fi or Bluetooth scanners are the most practical.
There are many different companies that make industrial scanners, like Motorola, Honeywell, Datalogic or Zebra. Which scanners are best suited to a company's needs depends on a variety of different factors. We use the scanners made by Zebra and have always been very happy with them! For companies using RFID labels, there are so-called RFID scanner, which are essential for reading the labels.
| Do you want to know which labels are best suited to your company's inventory? Check out our blog about the best labels for asset management. |
As already mentioned, industrial scanners are used to read barcode and 2D code labels. We have experienced in the past that especially post-inventories are much, much easier with an industrial scanner. These scanners are much more powerful than a smartphone app: they can read a barcode from up to 6 m away, labels can be crooked, stuck around corners or slightly damaged and still be scanned without any problems
Scanners on mobile devices are heavily dependent on the quality of the camera, some are better and some are worse, and this has a big impact on how much time an inventory process takes. And regardless of how good the camera is, most don't have a 2D scanner, so you have to hold the device directly in front of a straight and unblemished label to scan it correctly.
Due to all of this, almost any inventory process is faster with an industrial scanner. Depending on how many items you need to take up into your digital asset manager, it's definitely worth thinking about buying or borrowing an industrial scanner to save valuable time and effort.
| Do you want to learn more about digital inventory management systems? Download our inventory guide today, completely free of charge! |
Quality always has it's price, so you should never try to buy the cheapest scanner. Trust us, it will save you a lot of time and headache and the process of having to purchase twice. High-quality, high-performance industrial scanners usually cost around €600 or more. There are usually also licensing costs to consider to ensure that the scanner is compatible with the software you are using. These costs vary, but often include a one-off fee of between €600-700 and running costs that are usually included in the contract.
Industrial scanners are already worthwhile when you consider the time they can save. But of course it's not just about saving time, but about individual cost-benefit analyses. Good, powerful and flexible scanners are not exactly cheap. Due to the higher investment costs, industrial scanners are often more worthwhile for larger companies, companies with multiple locations or a large number of assets to manage.
As is so often the case, the final conclusion as to whether an industrial scanner is worthwhile or not is: It depends on your company. If you have a high fluctuation of assets, inventory that is spread to across many different locations or you just have a large number of assets, the answer is often: Yes, an industrial scanner is worth it. Especially larger companies prefer using industrial scanners to save on time, costs and effort. But of course, these scanners are an investment and companies with fewer items might end up spending more money than they save.
So it's usually within your best interest to do a cost-benefit-analysis and decide whether you want to purchase an industrial scanner then. Additionally, you should decide to commit to a type of label, as different labels often require different scanners. But there is good news: Your inventory management software provider will be able to help you with all of these questions and different options.
| Do you want to find out what a digital asset management software could look like in your company? Then try out our software for free - it's worth it! |
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