Sukyana
For my Final year project in poly, I focused on enhancing the warehouse management experience. Having worked part time in 2 types of warehouses - one large distribution center serving retail stores and a smaller e-commerce warehouse handling direct-to-customer orders—I gained firsthand insight into the challenges faced during peak delivery preparation periods.
This project aimed to design a system that offers a seamless e-commerce live system and services tracker.
CURRENT FLOW - TIDEOUS PROCESSES
Due to the pandemic, the public switched to purchasing daily necessities online more. This increases the influx of orders for ecommerce websites like Q10, Shopee and Lazada.
Staffs that process the orders have to do the following to complete orders:
1. Accumulate orders
2. Print orders
3. Locate items for orders
4. Pick the correct item and quantity needed
5. Scan and pack
6. Contact customer if lack of stocks
ONE MOMENT I'M HERE, ANOTHER MOMENT I'M THERE?
E-commerce warehouse staff need to perform numerous tasks quickly, but the current layout and stock arrangement often lead to inefficiencies. With stocks piled up and needing rearrangement, staff spend valuable time locating items or forgetting where old stock is stored. This can cause confusion and panic in a fast-paced environment, resulting in human error and inefficient stock management.
Customers also have worries about how to contact the company if there are any mistakes or damages with the orders. Some wonder how long their orders would take, its status and its location.
PACKED CORRECTLY, DELIVER ON TIME, STOCKS IN CHECK
The focus would be to improve accuracy, punctuality, and keeping track of stocks and statistics. These 3 elements are interconnected where one affects another. Insufficient stocks for an order, causes it to not be fulfilled and push back its delivery. New stocks coming but not updating the system confuses how much stocks are there currently.
My initial direction was to design a handheld scanner.
SCANNING AT THE END OR IN BETWEEN?
​To streamline the fast-paced order preparation process, I shifted from handheld scanners to hands-free scanners. Instead of scanning SKUs at every interval while checking the order list back and forth, SKUs will only be scanned when all items have been collected. This provides flexibility in completing urgent orders especially when there are limited goods.
I compared this to supermarket shopping, where you can either carry a handheld scanner while shopping or scan everything at the cashier at the end.
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The need to carry the handheld scanner is troublesome should the staff need to collect a lot of stocks for the order. Thus, scanning at the end provides convenience and flexibility of order completion and eliminates the need for items to be carried.
REFINING FOR CONVENIENT NECESSARY INPUTS
Button arrangements, functionality of the scanner and also the forms and features were revised continuously to achieve the optimised experience according to usage and connections. This makes scanning more efficient and easy for the user to use.
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When scanning, staffs has to key in courier services, type of product, where is the delivery from and to etc. The inclusion of buttons enables it to easily key in instead of alternating between mouse, keyboard and scanner.
FINAL DESIGN
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Synced to warehouse system and will update movement and quantity of SKUs.
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Checks accuracy of SKUs and quantity for online orders while scanning
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Minimizes need for keyboard, mouse and hand held scanner
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Number pad for input of quantity
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Detachable scanner for larger items not placeable on table
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Tilting screen for better angle views
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‘FROM’ and ‘VIA/TO’ allow fast and easy input of mailing locations​
SCANNING PROCESS
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3 Modes: Bound In, Bound Out, Locate
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Synced to warehouse system and will update movement and quantity of SKUs.
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Checks accuracy of SKUs and quantity for online orders while scanning
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‘FROM’ and ‘VIA/TO’ allow fast and easy input of mailing locations
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Easy addition of SKUs to current stocks​
FAST CUSTOMER CONTACT
On the customers' side, they are able to track the status of their order and easily feedback if there's any errors or issues with it. There is a list of options and description box which will reflect easily for the warehouse side to make amends.
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Double click vid for full screen
Left: non damaged goods
Right: reporting damaged goods
On the website side, staffs are able to see the overview of all their orders. As the scanner is synced to the system, any item that goes in and out will be adjusted automatically.
