Your one-stop guide to warehouse label printer integration

What is label printer integration?

Put simply, when you choose to invest in upgraded label printing technology, integration is the process by which this technology is implemented into your business. This means:

• connecting new technology with your business’ Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• integrating into and improving your workflow
• integrating with the warehouse management system (WMS)
• ensuring all relevant software is synced up and up to date.

So, true integration is when new label printing technology is incorporated into all aspects of your business and is fully functional.

However, you know as well as we do that, in a fast-moving warehousing and logistics operation, it can be pivotal to work with a partner to enable you to uninstall the technology you’ve been reliant on and implement a new version without any hiccups.

And doing so is both necessary and important. After all, integrating new technology provides a fantastic opportunity to review your current processes and workflows and to implement new ones that are designed around the needs of your business.

In fact, having a well thought through implementation process that works for your business can result in significant benefits, such as:

The importance of an integration-focused partner

You know what your business needs, but a good printing partner will be able to recommend the right solutions to get you there. To do this, they will take a thorough look at your current systems and advise on the type of labelling solution you require to improve efficiency throughout your business.

But not only this – a warehouse that is under increasing demand needs to have processes in place that aid both productivity and efficiency. And the fact is, technology that is not integrated can hinder both these things, while well-integrated technology can contribute to dramatic improvements.

Why? Because badly-integrated technology can be awkward to navigate, create blockages, and eat up time as a result. Well-integrated technology, however, should work in harmony, reducing the need for manpower, and freeing up workers to concentrate on what matters.

So, what kinds of label printing options should growing warehouses be considering?

The power of tech that “talks to each other”

In a multi-faceted business where time is of the essence, communication is vital to running a smooth operation. But by that, we don’t just mean communication from person to person, although this is important too. No, we’re referring to your technology.

Having tech that “talks to each other” means tech that automates background processes, massively reducing the need for manual data entry and updates. It means, when you enter data on one machine, you enter it on every machine, or when you enter data in one format the correct information is produced on another machine – this is the power of true integration.

 
For example, automatic identification for logistics and warehousing inventory works through a variety of technologies, such as radio frequency identification, magnetic stripe cards/readers, barcode labels and readers, and optical memory cards. Meaning different types of technology can capture, share, and process without human involvement.

Getting this kind of automation right from the start with true integration can mean that employees spend much less time thinking about updating and inputting into your label printers and troubleshooting incorrectly formatted label outputs, and much more time doing what they do best.

To ensure your equipment is properly integrated, however, businesses need an experienced and supportive partner to facilitate the transition.

The importance of true label integration

Worried that integrating new label printing technology could cause downtime or may not integrate with your current WMS? You’re not alone.

In fact, in our research we found that IT managers consistently named ease of integration as one of their top priorities when it comes to selecting a new device.

But why else is proper integration with improved technology so beneficial for warehouse and logistics businesses?

Integration for growing warehouses

Of course, a warehouse now may not have the same needs as it did five or 10 years ago. Especially considering technology and consumer expectations have also transformed during that time.

For instance, anyone who works in warehousing and logistics knows that consumer preferences shifting into the online space is resulting in increasing volumes of parcels. Not only this, but the demands of same-day and next-day delivery have compounded this effect, meaning that demand on warehouses has increased at a far faster rate than many can keep up with.

As a consequence, the traditional warehouse approach that utilised a desktop printer and required workers to walk back and forth between various locations to fulfil orders is both outdated and impractical.

However, even if warehouse managers know that their current processes just aren’t working for them anymore, that doesn’t mean they automatically know what they need to replace them with.

The steps to label printer integration

While there are no hard and fast rules about how long the integration process takes (this can depend on aspects like proof of concept, pilots, and business sign off), new label printer integration is usually live within an hour, although more complicated integrations can take up to four weeks.

Because this process is unique to each business, your supplier will be able to give you a more accurate forecast. However, it’s around this time, after making initial contact, that your supplier will be asking you some questions about what you want and need from your new system, to accurately gauge how they can best support you.

For instance:

Brother’s integration process

We live for the label, so you don’t have to

We know it can be overwhelming bringing in new tech to any business. That’s why we work alongside our partners and resellers to ensure you’re completely satisfied with your new devices.

The reason we take such care in the early stages of integration is so that we have the most complete picture of your current setup. This allows us to not only deliver a seamless implementation, but also recommend areas where you could make efficiencies in the way you print – potentially saving you both time and money.

No matter your business size or printing output, our level of support doesn’t change. We pride ourselves on our obsessive attention to detail, meaning you can keep your business running, safe in the knowledge that we have all your labelling needs taken care of.

We live for the label, so you don’t have to.