Philadelphia Scientific has introduced the iBOS barcode scanner. An added feature to the iBOS battery room management system, the handheld scanner enables the tracking of individual battery run times and individual lift truck utilization or “deadman” hours by scanning barcodes on each battery and each lift truck. This information is then fed into the iBOS system and is reported through the iBOSWorld Web Service. When combined with the iBOS battery room management system’s ability to properly rotate batteries and right-size battery rooms, the barcode scanner provides for increased visibility into battery and lift truck utilization. This additional information helps warehouses and DCs better manage the maintenance and replacement of their battery fleets.
According to Harold Vanasse, Philadelphia Scientific’s vice president of sales and marketing, “Knowing the run-time hours of individual batteries is the key to managing the maintenance and replacement of the battery fleet. The barcode scanner increases visibility into battery room activity, enabling operators and managers to easily identify weak batteries that are in need of service or replacement without burdensome manual paperwork.”
“For warehouses and DCs that lease their lift trucks, the iBOS barcode scanner is an essential tool for identifying and tracking deadman hours – the number of hours the truck is engaged in operation. This information enables the proper management of the battery and lift truck fleets,” Vanasse continued. “For many operations, preventive maintenance is performed based upon deadman hours, and the barcode scanner gives operators and managers a tool to easily record these hours. With the new scanner, managers can take a systematic approach to battery room management that puts information right on their desktops, eliminating the need for keeping hand-written logs or guessing at those hours.
“The iBOS system and its new barcode scanner bring much-needed data into the battery room. And the bottom line is that this data will improve battery room performance and positively impact productivity throughout the warehouse or DC.”
