June 25, 2007

Raising the bar code for efficient tracking systems

PETER KENTER

correspondent

Bar codes have been used successfully as a means of identifying structural components being manufactured and delivered to a job site. New bar coding systems, however, are building on that success.

Kathy Adams, president of Integrated Systems Solutions in St. Louis has developed Steel-Trak, a bar coding system that not only helps to identify structural steel components, but identifies which employees worked on the component, how long it took to manufacture and how much it cost.

“Our largest clients are companies fabricating steel components for bridges and commercial buildings,” says Adams. “Instead of just identifying parts, the system calculates the labour that went into each part, tells you who is working on a part at any given time, creates payroll information and integrates shipping and receiving.”

The system works by generating a bar code tag for each fabricated part. As the part moves through the shop, each worker scans the bar code before working on it.

“We scan each piece, except for nuts and bolts and fasteners,” says Adams. “Because all of the components are identified, they can be delivered to the construction site in sequence. If a component is needed sooner, the fabricator will know exactly where that part is and who is working on it at that time.”

Fabricators can also determine whether quotes they provide reflect actual costs. The system is so accurate at calculating the costs of fabrication projects, says Adams, that a metal fabricator client working on an aborted casino project was able to provide exact proof of how much compensation it was entitled to – even for parts that were only partially completed. Adams notes that steel fabricators who want to implement bar coding systems need to consider mobility, using wireless scanning devices instead of hard-wired units.

“A metal fabrication facility can’t be crossed with additional cables,” she says. “The system must be mobile to follow parts and employees everywhere. The system must also take into consideration how shop employees really act on the shop floor. The system must be easy to use and can’t slow down the work flow.”

Bar code label durability is also an issue. Traditional paper bar code labels can’t survive the rigors of a metal fabrication shop, so tougher labels must be developed.

Ideally, construction contractors would scan the bar codes on each component as it’s delivered and installed, but Adams realizes that this isn’t a practice likely to be adopted in the near future. “We wrote a job site portion for the software, but you have to be able to get the construction workers to do the scanning. On most construction sites, installing the components on schedule is more important than scanning them – you have to have the discipline to do it.”

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