The RF scanner strategy at this warehouse is simple: buy durable, repairable equipment up front, keep spare batteries ready, and run it for as long as it continues doing the job.

These handhelds are approaching six years in service. They can make it through a full 12-hour shift, and spare batteries keep them operating when the warehouse adds extra shifts. They ride on lift trucks and pallet jacks, so vibration, impacts, and the occasional drop are part of normal life.

Repairability was a major part of the original decision. Instead of replacing an entire unit every time something gets damaged, we can repair it, return it to service, and keep the fleet consistent.

Even after accounting for the repair budget, the client’s return on these scanners has gone well beyond our original calculations. This is a good example of why the lowest purchase price is not always the lowest operating cost.