Logistics Industry Investing over $5million in Cognex Vision Technology

April 2014 -Over the past few months, Cognex Corporation has received purchase orders totalling more than $5 million from customers in the logistics sector; the first being a large parcel delivery firm; the second, a global retail customer.

The former will use Cognex DataMan® 300 barcode readers on automated sorting stations in its U.S. distribution centres to read 1-D barcodes on trays containing items to be shipped, a key part in the process of routing these items to the correct destination. Additional follow-on orders are expected in the near future.

"Cognex won this project after proving that our DataMan 300 ID reader provides a higher return on investment than other solutions," said Carl Gerst, Cognex Vice President for ID Products. "DataMan can read even worn and very-hard-to read barcodes, which can be an issue with reusable trays used to transport items for sorting. DataMan's nearly perfect read rates and ability to keep up with high-speed conveyors ensures the fastest and most reliable package throughput for the customer."

Barcode Readers Verify Accurate Labelling
A large retail customer has purchased Cognex DataMan® 300 barcode readers to be used in distribution centres to automatically generate shipping labels for outbound packages, and to verify that the correct label is on the correct package after it has been applied. The customer will be integrating the DataMan 300 systems at its recently opened distribution centres and will also replace existing laser scanners at their highest-volume facilities.

"After a rigorous evaluation process, DataMan's code-reading performance proved superior to laser scanners, and that means higher throughput and less manual handling of packages." commented Gerst. “This increase in efficiency results in a very short payback period. Additionally, DataMan has no moving parts to wear out, which eliminates downtime due to scanner maintenance."
The DataMan 300 with Hotbars™ image analysis technology offers reliable reading of 1-D barcodes that lasers cannot read, including damaged, distorted, blurred, scratched, low height and low contrast codes. It also reads codes presented in any orientation, multiple codes within the same image, and 2-D codes such as Data Matrix and QR codes. With no moving parts to wear out, the DataMan 300 also offers exceptional reliability, lower maintenance and longer product life. DataMan's real-time performance feedback also provides customers with the ability to make immediate adjustments for process improvements.

Future Trends
With the growing need for advanced and comprehensive code reading on complex, high volume and high speed lines, logistics companies are realising the benefits of No Read Analysis as a cost effective solution for their distribution processes. This step towards embracing innovative technology, allowing images to be saved and later evaluated, continues to highlight the growing trend towards the use of image-based readers over laser scanners.

For more information about the advanced capabilities of the DataMan 300 image-based barcode reader, visit www.cognex.com/factory-id-reader.aspx.

About Cognex
Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures and markets a range of products that incorporate sophisticated machine vision technology that gives them the ability to “see.” Cognex products include bar code readers, machine vision sensors and machine vision systems that are used in factories, warehouses and distribution centers around the world to guide, gauge, inspect, identify and assure the quality of items during the manufacturing and distribution process. Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 850,000 vision-based products, representing over $3 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, USA, Cognex has regional offices and distributors located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, Asia and Latin America. For details, visit Cognex on-line at http://www.cognex.com.