Pallet Scanning System
High-speed barcode scanning for moving pallets and large packages.
Boost warehouse throughput with advanced barcode scanning
Pallets move fast in today’s warehouses and distribution centers – sometimes hundreds or even thousands a day – making high-speed, highly accurate scanning critical to keep operations on track. Consumer product, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical manufacturers must improve not just production but also warehousing and fulfillment to meet rising performance expectations and customer demands.
To keep up, more manufacturers and distributors are turning to advanced barcode reading and machine vision solutions that reduce downtime, minimize costly rework, and drive throughput. These technologies improve pallet processing efficiency, cut operational costs, and ensure full supply chain traceability – enabling smarter, faster handling from the inbound dock door to final delivery.
Achieving up to 99.95% read rates, Cognex Pallet Scanning Systems excel at reading barcodes on moving pallets – boosting performance of both inbound and outbound pallet processing.
Why multiple codes, shrink wrap, and poor lighting lead to tracking errors
In large-scale warehousing and distribution, pallets and crates often carry multiple barcodes or oversized text labels for routing and inventory. These codes can be damaged, printed at odd angles, or obscured by reflective shrink wrap, causing “no-reads.“ Labels placed at varying heights and distances further complicate scanning, especially for handheld or fixed laser readers. Capturing every code at once, regardless of condition or pallet size, is essential to reduce rework and speed processing.
These two common use cases show where manual scanning falls short—and where automation makes a big impact:
- At busy receiving dock doors, speed is critical. Handheld readers slow operators down, and missed scans lead to costly rework, misroutes, or delays. Poor lighting or shrink wrap covers make decoding challenging.
- For tracking large, printed text codes in outdoor yards or on oversized crates, bad reads can lead to failed deliveries and misplacement of goods. Inconsistent lighting, printing issues, and viewing distances can make reliable reads tough, and manual recording is slow and error-prone.
Automating the process with easy-to-use, powerful Cognex pallet scanning solutions improve traceability and speed up processing, helping your operations to reduce manual rework and improve efficiency.
Cognex pallet scanners capture precise data to streamline inventory and simplify routing
Cognex delivers a cost-effective pallet scanning solution with up to 99.9% read rates, using image-based barcode reading technology and advanced algorithms to decode both 1D and 2D codes.
Our Pallet Scanning System uses DataMan barcode readers to precisely read barcodes, even if torn or covered with plastic wrapping, on moving pallets transported on conveyors or forklifts. They provide accurate readings from short working distances across a wide field of view, and thanks to simple installation and user-friendly operation, you’ll be up and running in no time.
These systems help manufacturers maintain traceability and reduce errors, rework, and delays across diverse applications:
Logistics: Capture pallet information from barcodes on inbound pallets from short working distances quickly and accurately, improving efficiency and inventory accuracy.
Consumer products: Process outbound pallets more efficiently with advanced decoding algorithms that read damaged, multiple, or partially obscured codes.
Food and beverage: Scan damaged, shrink-wrapped, or glare-covered barcodes on pallets and boxes to ensure accurate routing and traceability, especially in temperature-controlled environments
Medical devices: Read multiple barcodes and text on shrink-wrapped pallets with mixed assemblies, ensuring safety, compliance, and preventing costly packing errors or recalls.
Cognex supports you every step of the way with flexible options for on-site, online, or on-demand assistance, backed by a global network of experts ready to help – so you can keep operations running smoothly without interruption.