Originally published July 2001, TRANSPORTATION & DISTRIBUTION Magazine

Sonacom IT Partners–a voice video, and data services firm–and Option Technologies Inc.–a supplier of wireless data system products—-have designed and implemented a wireless local-area network (LAN) to track inventory at Lanter Co.’s Madison, IL, warehouse—-the site from which 30,000 tons of Hershey’s chocolate is distributed to seven Midwestern States.

Lanter Co. is a full-service logistics organization with more than five million square feet of warehousing space and a fleet of more than 400 refrigerated trucks.

Lanter’s new wireless LAN system spans 400,000 square feet and uses RF technology to connect with hand-held and forklift-mounted bar code scanners…
…it scans pallets and sends data directly to a central data network.

Sean Lorenz, senior resource manager at Sonacom, says, “This is a huge trend in warehousing. It gives Lanter better control of inventory and product management and its client—-in this case Hershey—-a way to track product at all times.”

“The moment they’re scanning, they can see where product is,” adds Sam Shaler, sales manager at Option Technologies. “By operating on a radio frequency, information is transferred to the network real time from anywhere in the building.”

Option and Sonacom completed implementation of the 11-megabit system in six weeks.