8 min.
April 4, 2022
The SSCC standard is the most important tool for Frode Laursen's inventory management
Text:
Lasse Jacobsen
Photo:
Lasse Jacobsen
Trucks zigzag in front of Frode Laursen's 64,000 square meter warehouse in Åstorp as goods are loaded from the many gates and shipped out to supermarkets in the Nordic region.
Inside, 200-300 employees operate electric forklifts, pack goods and scan endless SSCC labels stuck on pallets up to 12 meters high.
- With approximately 61,000 pallets in this warehouse alone, it's important to know where the pallets are. The SSCC code ensures accurate tracking and efficient handling, says Warehouse Manager Alex Berariu.
SSCC labels also help ensure that everyone knows where they are going and what task needs to be completed.
The SSCC code is Frode Laursen's most important tool when the Nordic logistics provider transports goods around the Nordic region on a daily basis.
- It is because it is unique to the pallet and it is the way we can separate the pallets. We also chose to build our WMS (Warehouse Management System) around the SSCC standard," says Development Manager Stefan Maagaard.
It is the SSCC code that carries all the information warehouse workers need to do their job quickly and efficiently. For example, EAN number, batch number and expiration date.
While trucks move pallets in the supply chain, Stefan emphasizes that the EAN-128 standard also plays a role. It helps ensure that goods with the shortest shelf life leave the warehouse first, optimizing both efficiency and quality.
It's important to have GS1 standards to have an established routine to work by, to increase efficiency, ensure quality and make sure a pallet doesn't get lost, for example.
A common language
Frode Laursen operates in five countries, which requires standards to create a common language across cultures and languages.
- And here again, it is the SSCC code that is the most important tool to tell which pallet is being transferred between distributors or from a factory to us," says Stefan Maagaard.
Warehouse Manager Alex Berariu adds:
- We use the same system in all countries, which means we can send people to Denmark to work. And then they just go in and work exactly as they do here. The standards mean that we can work in the same way.
Frode Laursen operates in five countries, which requires standards to create a common language across cultures and languages.
- And here again, it is the SSCC code that is the most important tool to tell which pallet is being transferred between distributors or from a factory to us," says Stefan Maagaard.
Warehouse Manager Alex Berariu adds:
- We use the same system in all countries, which means we can send people to Denmark to work. And then they just go in and work exactly as they do here. The standards mean that we can work in the same way.
Also lowers the carbon footprint
Like many other companies today, Frode Laursen is actively working to be climate-friendly with electric trucks and LED lights that turn on and off via sensors. But the SSCC standard also plays a role in reducing the carbon footprint.
Many kilometers are driven in large trucks. It's important for Frode Laursen, but also for the climate, that the trucks are loaded so they don't drive around empty or half empty.
- We use the EAN-128 label to retrieve master data about the pallet so we know which goods we're carrying. Then we can calculate height and so on. When we scan the SSCC code, we can calculate the volume of the truck and minimize empty space," explains Stefan Maagaard.
Efficient loading reduces the number of trips and thus reduces environmental impact.
When working across borders, standards are important because they create a common language. And here again, it is the SSCC code that is the most important tool to tell you which pallet you are handing over.
