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Handheld Scanners - Handsfree and Voice picking

When you have chosen which WMS solution to use, you will need to decide on what kind of hardware the Mobile WMS solution is to be used on.  A common denominator for the manufacturers that Tasklet Factory works with is, that the hardware needs to be robust enough to be used in a warehouse or production environment. We have a business unit that is kept up to date with the newest knowledge on handheld scanners. Below you will find a quick intro to the different kinds of hardware to choose from.

Where To Use Which Hardware?


The environment where the handheld scanners are to be used often limits the range of handheld scanners to choose between. Here it is often the temperature that is the decisive factor. In cooling compartments, the temperature often is about +5 degrees, and in freezer compartments, it often comes down to –18 degrees. This means that the handheld scanners you buy for this purpose need to be able to withstand this environment.

Another considerable factor is how far away the handheld scanners need to be able to scan. There are scanners that cover normal scanner needs (typically an arms length of 50-60 cm), also called short-range scanners. Likewise, there are scanners that have a reach of several meters (typically 8-12 meters), also called long-range scanners. We recommend that you in the purchase of handheld scanners, consider it carefully, and listen to best-practice in the area. We often see that you work with old work routines (the “it has always been like that-principle”). To that, we recommend that you try to change your work routines so that your scanner needs can be covered by a short-range scanner. This is of course not possible in all warehouses, and in that case, give us a call.

Should You Choose Voice Picking or Just Choose a Mobile WMS Solution With Hands-Free Handheld Scanners?


We often meet the question of whether our solution supports voice-picking. To this, the answer is that it does not. We have through the last 8-9 years researched if the customers that ask for voice-picking actually have this need or if they are seeking a solution where they can work hands-free. In most cases, it was the need to work hands-free that was most important, and therefore we chose to concentrate on this segment in the development of our software.

Another important and decisive factor for the choice was, that you with voice-picking only relieve the function that concerns the pick of products and therefore not optimize on the other functions. By the use of a hands-free scanner solution you will get full utilization of all functions and at the same time obtain validation of your scans. We, therefore, recommend that you carefully consider your needs before choosing a solution.

Contact us at sales@taskletfactory.comif you want more information on our different scanners or take a look at our hardware page.