- A database management system can be used to store large amounts of data such as details of products, stock intake, amount of profit using a program like this is useful because the information can be easily retrieved, modified or more data added.
- A powerful compuer operating system is essential because most programs need a lot of memory space. It also needs to be user friendly, so when a new employee joins it is easy to adapt to.
Objectives of the new system
The main objective of this new system is to improve the service to customers and to increase the sole trader productivity and profits
Benefits towards the customers
- The old system relied on the employee to enter numerical data manually. The new system processes data automatically this is more accurate and efficient.
- Customers don’t have to carry cash by using a debit or credit card and then have the advantage to withdraw cash up to £50 at the checkout.
- More promotions can be offered because the new system should introduce more customers there fore more profit.
- An itemized receipt is produced that includes detailed information of the items that have been bought and can see if any mistakes have been made.
- Loose produce can be automatically priced at the checkout.
- The goods are fresher because stock levels held by supermarkets can be lower.
- Chilled and frozen foods are kept at the correct temperature so risks of contamination and health hazards are kept at a minimum.
Benefits toward the sole trader
- Stock control is more efficient, so there is less chance of goods being out of stock.
- The checkout is more efficient because the employees have less chance of making errors.
- Sale forecasts and profiles can be made, which lead to more efficient use of shelf space.
- Little warehouse space is needed in each supermarket because of the efficiency in the distribution system.
UPC barcodes
UPC bar codes were originally created to help supermarkets speed up the process at the checkout and keep better track of stock control .The system quickly spread to all other retail products because it was so successful. It is now used worldwide on products that require a barcode. The "UPC" stands for Universal Product Code. This code is unique to each product.
All UPC bar codes contain 12 digits with the first 6 containing the manufacturer’s identification number. This is used on the full range of barcodes from a certain manufacturer so they can be easily identified. It is essential to use this system when a store is exporting products to foreign countries. The next five digits are the item number that identifies the product. The last digit is the check digit; this is very important because it enables the barcode scanner to determine if the barcode has been scanned correctly or not. It works the process out with a series of calculations. If the check digit the barcode scanner calculates is different from the check digit, the scanner knows that there has been an error and the item needs to be assessed and rescanned.
This barcode is from a product produced by BYG publishing, which is a book company
Communication Infrastructure
Many companies used to use the Fax machine to send alphanumeric data to each other. This technology was particularly useful because it could also be used to transfer drawings. A fax machine works by scanning the data with a beam of light; the light is then converted into an electronic signal that is passed along the telephone line to the recipient's machine, which is then printed out. The cost was not too high for fax apart from the cost of ink cartridges that needed to be replaced and the cost of paper, which need to be fed through the fax machine, which is the same for printers. Many sole traders were able to use this technology because of the cost and efficiency to send mail.
With the growing success of the Internet, the technology of fax was generally ignored and replaced with high-speed Electronic mail. With E-mail data and messages can be sent electronically via a telephone network or a data network and via a central computer. E-mail has many more advantages of speed and economy, with e-mail the information can be stored on disk for future reference. E-mail is now widely used by most companies instead of fax. I believe the sole trader should use this technology so they can communicate efficiently with companies that also use e-mail. This technology is also cost efficient because there is no need to use paper, pens etc. with e-mail large amounts of data can be transferred in real time.
Electronic data interchange is a method used by different companies computers to automatically exchange data through a telephone or private line. The sole trader can use this to obtain information from, other shops owned by the trader or other sole traders. Information exchanged can be stock levels, quantity level needed to be reordered. The sole trader will not need to use this system, as the order levels will be calculated by the computer and a report will be generated which can then be faxed or emailed to the supplier.
Future technology in supermarkets
RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification, which is a new type of technology. It comprises of three components: An antenna or coil, a transceiver (with decoder) and A transponder (RF tag) electronically programmed with unique information.
The tags are cheap and they contain a unique Electronic Product Code. This is stored in the tag's microchip.
If a drinks manufacturer decided to use this technology in their system here is how it would work:
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The manufacturer inserts a RFID tag to each can of drink that is produced. These tags then provide the cans to be identified, counted and tracked automatically, this is very cost effective, the cans are then packaged into cases that also contain RFID tags and loaded onto tagged palettes.
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As the palettes of Cans leave the manufacturer, an RFID reader positioned above the loading dock hits the smart tags using radio waves. The tags "wake up" and start broadcasting their individual Electronic product code. However only one tag can be read at the time so it will have to switch them on and off.
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The reader is wired into a computer system running a stock control program. It sends the program the EPCs it has collected, and the program goes to work. The system sends a query over the Internet to an Object Name Service (ONS) database, which acts like a reverse telephone directory - it receives a number and produces an address.
- The ONS server matches the EPC number to the address of a database, which has large amounts of information about the product. This data is available to other stock systems around the world.
- This second server uses Physical Markup Language to store data about the manufacturers' products. It recognizes the incoming EPCs as belonging to cans of the drinks manufacturer.
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Because the systems knows the location of the reader, which sent the query, the system now also knows which plant produced the cola. If an incident involving the products arose, this information would make it easy to track the source of the problem - and recall the products.
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Thanks to the RFID when the palettes arrive at the unloading area there is no need to check the contents of the packages. The stock control program describes the cargo and is quickly taken to the appropriate truck.
- Meanwhile the supermarket has been tracking the shipment thanks to its own connection to the stock control system. When the delivery arrives it passes trough their own loading dock readers.
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As soon as the products arrive, the supermarket retail systems are automatically updated to include every product that has arrived. Thanks to this the supermarket can locate its entire product range from that manufacturer inventory this is all done accurately and automatically.
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Inside the supermarket the shelves will contain their own independent readers, when the products are stocked, the shelves will understand what's being put in them. Now, when a customer grabs for example 6 cans of drink, the shelf will send a message to the supermarket’s automated re-fill systems - which will order more cans of drink from the manufacturer.
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Auto-ID makes the customers shopping trip easier, too. Rather than queue for a cashier, the customer can simply walk out the door with their purchases. A reader built into the door recognizes the items in her trolley by their individual EPCs; the customer can then swipe a debit or credit card and then exit.
Stock control data flow diagram
Bibliography
