Mobile Computing Improves Inventory Management

By Brian Albright, Integrated Solutions magazine

At first glance, it seems impossible that anyone could misplace a 10-ton steel coil. But if you are trying to keep track of hundreds of these coils as they are loaded into the dark, dank hold of a massive cargo ship, it's easier than you might think to lose count.

That was the problem facing JVV Logistics, a third-party logistics services company based in Northern Mexico. In the summer of 2009, JVV won an export contract with a steel company that had just begun shipping galvanized coils through the port at Altamira. Because of the high value of the coils, JVV has to keep an accurate count — a challenging proposition given the environment of the ship's hold.