Logistics Plus Eliminates Mispicks, Speeds Up Order Fulfillment and Empowers Teams with Zebra
Logistics Plus, a leading transportation and logistics company, recognized the need to modernize its warehouse processes to keep pace with industry demands. The company aimed to eliminate paper-based order picking, reduce manual errors and support its teams in managing an ever-changing assortment of goods.
Zebra Success Story: Logistics Plus
Overview: Transportation and Logistics Challenge
The integration of Zebra's solutions has allowed Logistics Plus to better track every item and device, streamline the order receiving process and ensure smoother and more accurate shipments, ultimately transforming its operations and reinforcing its commitment to excellence in logistics.
Benefits / Outcomes
- A 70% drop in picking errors, from nearly 30 per 1,000 picks to under 10
- Real-time data capture and validation further reducing the likelihood of mispicks
- Increased efficiency in scanning and inventory tracking - able to track every single item and device, regardless of the location
- Better accuracy in shipments and smoother order receiving process
Customer
Logistics Plus
Erie, Pennsylvania/USA
Partner
Industry
Transportation and Logistics
Solutions
About Logistics Plus
More—that’s Logistics Plus® in one word. Founded and based in Erie, Pennsylvania, the company has expanded over its thirty-year history from a transportation management firm to a comprehensive end-to-end supply chain solutions company. Its portfolio includes the energy sector, transportation management, freight forwarding, automotive and aviation logistics and warehousing and distribution across 50 countries. "Our teams are passionate about excellence and putting the ‘plus’ in logistics," says Scott Frederick, Chief Marketing Officer at Logistics Plus. "Despite our global reach and work across all facets of supply chain, we focus on staying nimble, adaptable and quickly developing custom solutions without the bureaucratic roadblocks typical for enterprise companies."
With North American warehousing space over 9 million square feet—that's over 840,000 square meters (equivalent to 155 American football fields), Logistics Plus regularly upgrades hardware and software to maintain a streamlined workflow. North American warehouses, in particular, wanted to focus on enhancing order picking processes—from order reception to shipment scheduling. “We relied on a mix of legacy device and paper-based order picking before, which caused many problems,” explains Eric Woolslayer, Analyst at Logistics Plus. "Paper pick slips were easily misplaced, orders were processed incorrectly and mis-shipments were common. Legacy devices lost connection moving among wireless access points and took time to recover." Seeking a modern solution for the order picking process, Logistics Plus decided to equip its sites with Zebra’s new-generation mobile computing devices, eliminating manual inefficiencies and replacing all legacy equipment.
The Challenge
The company’s collaboration with Zebra began in 2011 when it acquired another business and had to furnish its team with devices compatible with its Warehouse Management System (WMS). The company started using Zebra portable scanners, aided by OmniQ, a Zebra Certified Premier Partner. Since then, Zebra and OmniQ have continuously assisted with Logistics Plus hardware and software solutions. “Zebra’s global reach provides vital on-site support across all countries,” mentions Emile Zafirov, Chief Information Officer at Logistics Plus. “With a reliable, knowledgeable partner like OmniQ, we can approach them with whatever questions we have. They always work with us through it, no matter how unique and specific our request is.”
Logistics Plus had been successfully utilizing Zebra MC33 and TC73 mobile computers to track orders. When they saw an opportunity to further enhance workflow efficiency, it once again turned to Zebra. “Zebra’s reputation is stellar,” admits Zafirov. “That gives us confidence, but the bigger reason is because their devices are reliable, sturdy, and easy to track and they meet our custom needs.” First, the company purchased a few TC53 mobile computers to test. After successful trials in a South Carolina warehouse, within a year, the company expanded their use to over 300 TC53 devices across its sites in the US and Mexico. The TC53 handheld computers have proven adaptable, supporting everything from receiving goods to scheduling trucks and providing comprehensive security documentation. This allows teams to document shipments, send emails and use communication tools directly from the device. The company’s IT team kept the legacy devices onsite for the warehouses to use as failover in case the TC53 misbehaved but haven’t had to resort to them even once.
Compatibility with Microsoft 365 and other software applications was also a benefit. When a shipment comes in damaged, the receiving team can use the mobile devices’ camera to take a photo of the goods as proof. The long-range scanning of the new devices has also become a valuable asset in warehouses, allowing staff to scan even heavy-duty items that are stacked up 36 feet (more than 10 meters) high. Meanwhile, in the yard, the Logistics Plus teams use the TC53 to schedule and dispatch trucks and keep track of the truckloads. “Zebra is really integrated as far as our warehouse operations go,” Woolslayer confirms.
It's impossible to offer the services that we offer without good scanning devices. Without the Zebra products altogether, including the printers and especially the mobile computers, we would not have the operation that we have today.
The Solution
To complete the entire order fulfillment cycle, the devices integrate seamlessly with Zebra's thermal label printers, including the ZT231 industrial printer and ZD421 desktop printer, alongside ZebraDesigner 3 software. All solutions belong to Zebra's DNA suite—software tools and utilities that enhance performance, manageability, and usability of Zebra hardware. They help IT and operations teams deploy devices faster, troubleshoot remotely, maintain security, and improve frontline worker experiences.
The warehouse crew uses ZebraDesigner 3 to create industry-compliant barcode labels in various formats, including PDF, from packing and shipping labels to device serial number replacements. These are sent to ZT231 printers, which operate wirelessly and accommodate diverse label sizes—essential for devices requiring very small labels. “We use the ZD421 desktop printer with the battery accessory on mobile carts, so we can be anywhere in the building and print a new label whenever we need to,” describes Bill Reiner, Director of eComm and Fulfillment Solution Development at Logistics Plus. “That’s something we couldn’t easily do before.”
In addition to the printers and handheld mobile computers, Logistics Plus also implemented StageNow, a Zebra DNA for Mobile Computers application that allows you to manage and deploy devices in bulk. “All I need to do is scan a barcode, and the device connects to my computer, downloads the required files and updates its system automatically,” explains Woolslayer. “I no longer need to manually configure each device.” Network setup is just as easy. “Warehouses can’t change Wi-Fi settings on their own,” he adds. “So when they need to connect to a specific network, they send me the Wi-Fi login details, and I create a special barcode.” When warehouse staff scan this barcode, the device instantly connects to the right network—with no complicated setup needed.
The Zebra Difference: Outcome and Benefits
In business, there are always workarounds. Yet, winning companies see more than short-term solutions. “I could probably simply have an Android™ phone paired with a Bluetooth® device doing some of the things Zebra devices can do,” Zafirov notes. “But with Zebra, we get so many features in one—we can track devices, monitor usage and monitor goods comprehensively from intake to shipment. Zebra’s technology is a major building block in our services.”
This commitment to integrated solutions has transformed the Logistics Plus warehouse operations. By connecting mobile computers to the WMS, teams can capture and validate data in real time, reducing picking mistakes, returns, and re-shipments, and driving cost savings and efficiency. Receiving is faster, and the shift from manual, paper-based picking methods to RF scanner-assisted systems has radically improved accuracy. “We cut picking errors by nearly 70%—from around 30 per 1,000 picks to under 10,” Reiner explains. “In some warehouses, we've completely eliminated mis-shipments.”
Yet, the impact goes beyond mere efficiency. Empowered with greater speed and accuracy, employees experience reduced stress and frustration in their daily work. Operators interact with Zebra technology in diverse ways—some because they must, others as a tool to enhance their work. The real impact emerges when they use it creatively, expanding the warehouse's capabilities by applying Zebra's devices beyond their original scope.
Zebra solutions have become of critical importance to the Logistics Plus technological ecosystem. "It's impossible to offer the services we offer without good devices to help us scan,” notes Zafirov. “Without the Zebra products altogether, including the printers and especially the mobile computers, we would not have the operation that we have today."
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