Choosing a dimensioning system: criteria and checklist

What do you measure?

What you measure determines the product line. The size and shape of your shipments narrow down the choice faster than any other criterion.

• Packages and polybags in high numbers: a system at the roller conveyor or the packing table, such as the L13x.
• Individual items and master data: a measuring station where you place items, such as the S140. It stands on casters and can be moved around the warehouse.
• Pallets and bulky goods: a system above the area where the forklift briefly sets the pallet down, such as the L23x or the L33x.
• Long goods such as pipes, profiles or long crates: a system with a long measuring surface, such as the L63x.

If you have a mix of items to measure, look at the smallest and largest objects. They decide whether one system is enough or whether you need two measuring points.

Where in the process do you measure?

The second point is the location. In receiving, you avoid back-charges; in shipping, you bill correctly and plan the load space. Then there is the question of whether the forklift stops for the measurement or drives through.

With static measuring, the system measures while the pallet stands briefly; with dynamic measuring, the forklift drives through a measuring gate. For throughput, the method matters less than the route to the measuring point: a single measuring gate in the facility forces detours, while measuring stations right at the loading doors save them. Two simulations show what this means for your throughput:

• Measure standing still or driving through?
• Static pallet dimensioning: what the stop costs

Do you need a legal-for-trade system?

If you bill third parties based on the measured values, for example freight by volumetric weight, you generally need a legal-for-trade system. The responsible weights and measures authority has the final say on this. If you use the values only internally, for example for master data or load space planning, a variant that is not legal for trade is enough.

What legal for trade means exactly and which certificates back it is explained on the page Legal-for-trade volume measurement. How volumetric weight is calculated is shown in Calculate volumetric weight.

Space, installation and environment

Pallet systems usually hang from the ceiling, but they are also available as a frame that stands on the floor. Long goods systems such as the L63x are mounted on the ceiling. So clarify early how high the ceiling is at the planned spot and what is already hanging there. You need free space around the measuring point, also for the forklift routes. Also ask whether direct sunlight on the measuring surface, for example through an open door, disturbs the measurement. Power and network should be available at the spot.

You can find the exact dimensions and mounting heights on the product pages.

Connection to your systems

A measured value is only useful once it arrives where you need it. So ask how the system triggers the measurement and how the data moves on: by barcode scan or automatically, via an interface to your WMS, TMS or ERP, as a file, or without integration via a QR code. What this looks like with MetriX­Freight is on the page The MetriX­Freight platform.

Proof, operation and costs

In a dispute over an invoice, a photo with every measurement helps, documenting the condition of the shipment together with the measured values. Also ask who looks after the system after installation: is measurement quality monitored continuously, is there remote maintenance, and how quickly does support respond?

On costs, the price of the hardware is not all that counts. Weigh the one-time costs for hardware and installation and the ongoing costs for software and service together against the avoided back-charges and the saved working time. You can work this out with your numbers on the page Is a dimensioning system worth it?.

Checklist for talks with vendors

• Items and process: Ask for the smallest and largest objects the system measures, and ask about irregular shipments. Clarify whether it measures statically, while driving through, or both.
• Billing and technology: Ask whether there is a legal-for-trade variant and for which countries it is approved. Clarify design, space required and required ceiling height, and how the measured values get into your system.
• Operation and costs: Ask whether every measurement comes with a photo. Have them explain how measurement quality is monitored in operation, what the service includes, and which costs are one-time and which are ongoing. You learn the most from a visit to a site with similar items to measure.