Makita  –  Serial  Number  Range  Capture    

08  Fall  

MACGREGOR  PARTNERS  CASE  STUDY  FOR:  

 

 2  

Case  Study:  Makita  –  Serial  Number  Range  Capture    

Business  Problem    

Makita,  a  leading  manufacturer  of  professional  and  consumer  power  tools,  was  finding  its  equipment  within  countries,  regions,  and  markets  where  its  tools  were  not  authorized  to  be  sold.    In  order  to  combat  these  practices  and  hold  its  resellers  accountable,  Makita  needed  to  implement  serial  number  capture  within  its  distribution  network.  

 

In  the  United  States,  Makita  has  invested  in  the  JDA  suite  of  supply  chain  execution  systems.    When  evaluating  the  out  of  box  functionality  surrounding  serial  number  capture,  it  was  discovered  a  barcode  representing  each  saleable  unit  would  need  to  be  scanned  to  get  the  level  of  detail  necessary  to  meet  their  business  objective.  

 

Makita  recognized  that  breaking  down  pallets  and  opening  cases  to  scan  each  unit  or  affixing  individual  barcodes  to  cases  representing  each  unit  would  be  operationally  inefficient  –  negatively  impacting  labor  costs  and  increasing  order  cycle  times.    At  that  point,  Makita  turned  to  MacGregor  for  guidance.  

MacGregor  Partners  Approach      

MacGregor  worked  in  unison  with  Makita  to  design  and  implement  a  solution  that  provided  the  following  operational  and  technical  solutions:  

 

1. The  ability  to  scan  one  barcode  to  capture  all  serial  numbers  within  a  container  whether  it  be  a  master  case  or  an  entire  pallet.    

 

 3  

2. A  new  barcode  format  containing  information  representing  a  sequential  range  of  serial  numbers  respecting  the  serial  number  format  already  in  use  on  individual  units  of  high  value  merchandise.    

3. New  validation  rules  to  ensure  each  barcode  format  scanned  was  well-­‐formed  and  its  range  of  included  values  were  not  previously  used  elsewhere  in  JDA  WMS.    

4. Revised  ASN  transactions  sent  to  the  Makita  HOST  system  and  third  party  EDI  providers  containing  serial  numbers  associated  with  all  high-­‐value,  serial  number  captured  inventory.  

Result      

After  implementing  the  serial  number  capture  solution,  Makita  realized  significant  improvements  in  traceability  while  avoiding  negative  impacts  surrounding  their  labor  costs  and  order  cycle  times.  

 

As  a  result  of  tracking  serial  numbers  for  its  high  value  merchandise,  Makita  was  now  able  to  track  unauthorized  sales  back  to  its  individual  resellers.  

Do  you  have  similar  challenges  efficiently  capturing  serial  numbers  for  high  value  products?    If  so,  let  us  help  you  simplify  your  traceability  needs.