Associating images of damaged freight with the bill of lading can be a time-consuming process. Fortunately, the Ricoh Caplio 500SE Camera, Network PhotoLink and data management software from SDG Systems can streamline the process significantly. Together they create an integrated solution that efficiently and permanently associates the freight claim with the photo images.
Improved Process
The operator scans the inspection form's barcode prior to taking pictures. Photos are taken of the damaged goods and the completed form. Multiple inspections may reside in the camera as each photo is "tagged" (permanent association) with the scanned barcode.
Once the photos have been taken, they may be uploaded to a server. The Caplio 500SE-W supports integrated 802.11g wireless communication. If a wireless network is in range, the photos may be immediately uploaded to a server. An alternative to using a wireless network is to use the Network PhotoLink. Simply plug the USB cable into the camera and photos are automatically uploaded over Ethernet to the pre-configured server using FTP (file transfer protocol).
The server extracts the data from the arriving images and uses the scanned barcode number and other data to process the report. The images are immediately ready to view.
Cost / Benefit Analysis
It is evident that the Ricoh camera provides significant improvements to existing workflows. The cost and time delays of manually associating each image with a freight claim is eliminated. New benefits are afforded, as well, such as the immediate availability of the forms and images.
Contact SDG Systems and ask for a demonstration unit to be shipped to your location. We offer services to integrate the image processing into your server database. We can also provide software to store images through Amazon S3 or other online data providers.
