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While doing ARC’s recently completed global warehouse management system market (WMS) study I talked to many suppliers of WMS solutions. Several suppliers report they are seeing the shift toward smart device barcode scanning among millennials. Smart devices include device like an iPhone or an iPod. These scanners are most appealing to companies that have a large seasonal surge and have a need to bring temp workers – often millennials – up to speed quickly. It is significantly quicker to train young workers on a smart device than a traditional barcode scanner. In other ways, the RF guns and smart devices are similar. Just like a RF gun, the smart phones are connected to a WIFI hub in the warehouse. In addition to speed, cost is driving the transition. I did a little Internet searching. A rugged RF gun designed for the warehouse floor goes for about a $1,000. These are hardened devices that won’t break if you drop them. Using an RF Gun to Confirm that it is the Right Location for a Pick Or you can buy an iPhone with a camera and then download a barcode scanning app. Most apps you will find in iTunes and Google Play only focus on reading barcodes for checking product prices, but there are also apps robust enough to be used in the warehouse. The cost of an iPod plus the barcode scanning app is less than $200. A low-cost iPhone can be had for about $300. Then to harden the device, you can buy a sled to slide into for about $500. So, all in, the smart device route is about $700-$800, for savings of $200-$300. Or companies can forego the sleds in the belief that is less expensive to just buy new smart devices than to pay to harden […]