Weight is a key element in the E-Commerce and Shipping Industries. Choosing the best weighing system for your business needs can improve efficiency and your bottom line.
image credit – marsden-weighing.co.uk
The weight of a package determines the cost of the shipment; e.g., the heavier a package is, the more expensive it will be to ship. To maintain profitability, you need to charge the customer the amount you are charged by the shipping agency. If the package weighs more than you thought, shipping charges will be added to your billed charges. The package may even be rejected and returned to the sender if the weight reading is incorrect.
In order to maintain profitability in your business, you must accurately weigh products coming in and out of your facility. The following scales would be ideal choices for businesses that depend on efficiency and accuracy. The type of scale system you purchase will depend on the type of products and/or packages you are weighing.
Six scales appropriate for the E-Commerce and Shipping Industries are:
- Shipping Scales & Bench Scales
Shipping scales and bench scales are great for the general weighing of smaller packages, checkweighing and counting applications. These scales offer a wide range of sizes, capabilities, and functionalities. They’re designed with a small footprint allowing you to maximize your workspace. With so many options, it is best to consult Quality Scales Unlimited for the best solution for your business needs.
- Post Scales
Post scales are commonly found at the post office counters or office settings. They can be set up with existing shipping, mailing and inventory systems for accurate processing and weighing. These scales can handle all types of parcels or letters while allowing flexibility of usage. Post Scales can be integrated into self-service kiosks partnered with software to save time when customers post their own letters/parcels or purchase stamps.
- Conveyor Scales
Conveyor scales are ideal for businesses whose profit depends on speed and accuracy, as these scales offer the ability to improve the processing speed by increasing the throughput and minimizing manually moving products. You can integrate these scales with computers, scanners and label printers to further control the process. You may even choose a ball-top shroud to achieve easy movement over the scale, making them ideal for integration into a conveyor system. (A ball-top shroud surface has a number of movable balls installed into the scale platform surface that allows the packages to smoothly roll across the scale surface.)
- Floor Scales
Floor scales are heavy duty scales with large platforms that can weigh heavier goods with extremely high accuracy, making them ideal when weighing heavy and/or bulky products. You can install floor scales in a central location within the warehouse and use it in two ways:
a) operators can wheel lighter loads onto the scale for weighing
b) for heavier loads, operators can drive forklifts carrying palletized commodities onto the scale - Forklift Truck Scales
Forklift scales are mounted directly on the forklift. These scales allow you to lift and weigh bundled materials while on the forklift truck. You get real-time data acquisition which can be used for inventory management and billing. Integrating these scales with in-cab instruments, like bar code scanners, will allow you to instantly capture all necessary freight data available. You can then transmit it along with weight data to supervisory computer systems.
- Counting Scales
You can use counting scales for inventory control and for accurately counting a high volume of identical parts. The precision counting scales are capable of weighing even the lightest parts with an accuracy of over 99%, it also significantly minimizes operator error.
- Accessories & Integration
Contact Quality Scales Unlimited if you would like to know what scales best fit the unique requirements for your shipping and e-commerce business.