Overview: The BitRip App and BR Code™ Labels help track material shipments from warehouse to jobsite, so you don't lose time searching for misplaced materials or paying for their costly replacements.
As a leading design-build and design-assist mechanical contractor for HVAC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, Comfort Systems USA’s Mid-South division coordinates a huge number of personnel, materials, tools and equipment for commercial and industrial projects.
For John Gromko, a shipping & receiving manager at the company’s Birmingham location, the most important part of providing customers with a turnkey experience is ensuring parts and equipment like variable air volume (VAV) systems, ductwork, external grills and piping for each project are efficiently and accurately tracked.
From the time they arrive at the warehouse or off-site laydown yard to the time they are placed on the project site for installation, Gromko is responsible for knowing where project materials are at all times and for communicating locations and delivery times to foremen and project managers.
Coordinating delivery of multiple pieces of equipment all at once for large-scale projects like hospitals, prisons and universities, including the University of Alabama, Gromko’s work involves a lot of moving parts. For him, accurate check-in, check-out, and delivery of equipment are essential, as misplaced or miscommunicated deliveries can lead to costly project delays.
In an effort to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the company’s existing multi-step tracking process, Gromko was tasked by the company’s vice president of operations to find a better way to track material from the time it is received from the vendor to the time it is delivered to the jobsite.
He was then directed by a manager to try a new tool on the market called BitRip - a lightweight construction material tracking software that used a revolutionary type of rugged asset barcode. The manager had learned about the product when BitRip co-founder Catherine Chapman visited a local vendor. Gromko then secured his first roll of to test.
These rugged asset barcodes are called BR Code™ - scannable labels that work much like a QR Code Asset Tag. These tags get scanned by the free BitRip app (Demo it Today) and do two important things - store information about the materials and track their GPS location when scanned.
For Gromko, BitRip was a perfect fit for the needs of his shipping and receiving department - a simple way to make sure materials were accounted for 24/7.
Before switching to BitRip to track shipping and receiving activities, Gromko and the company’s project foremen and project managers relied on a multi-step tracking process to capture and communicate the delivery and location of project equipment.
For example, when an AC unit was delivered to the laydown yard in Birmingham, Gromko manually recorded when the unit was received and took a photo of the packing slip. That packing list, a photo of the equipment, and the data plate were emailed to the project manager, who then had to file it electronically and keep up with it.
With multiple units in motion at any given time, using manual data entry and email to coordinate equipment deliveries was becoming untenable.
“Now, when units arrive, I stick a BR Code label to each one and scan the codes on the tape with my phone and the app,” describes Gromko. “Then I have a timestamp and location for that unit, and I can upload a picture of the packing slip and a picture of the unit tag or the unit itself. Each one takes only seconds to create.”
Once a label is scanned, project managers are alerted and can begin tracking the unit’s flow from receiving all the way to the jobsite. A feature of BitRip's asset tagging system that Gromko particularly appreciates is the fact that the label accurately tracks where an item was last scanned. In the past, he was able to verify units were delivered to a jobsite, but he could not pinpoint where on the site if an installer was having trouble locating a delivery.
Using the BitRip app, Gromko can now add notes to each labeled unit to indicate where the unit should be placed on site — a level of detail that is especially useful for projects that involve multiple floors.
“All I have to do is add a note that says ‘second floor,’ and that unit will go right where it’s supposed to,” says Gromko. “The location accuracy of BR Code labels can typically get an installer within about 20 feet.”
With the BitRip app working well in the shipping and receiving department, Gromko is now promoting its use in other areas throughout the company. “I think BR Code labels would be great for our warranty department, especially for units that we continue to service and maintain over a period of time,” says Gromko.
He has also recommended the product and app for use in the service department for easier tracking of service records and for the AP department to keep track of laptop inventory. Gromko also said that next year he plans to use BitRip and the BR Code labels to create delivery tickets for system builds that are shipped on pallets to jobsites and installed by other contractors.
Did you know you can test out the whole BitRip Equipment Tracking System for just $12.50? It's simple - just follow the steps below.
Download the Free Mobile App here (available on iPhone and Android)
2. Order 5 Sample BR Code Labels for just $12.50
3. Try out our BitRip Pro Equipment Tracking Software (30 Day Free Trial, No Credit Card Required)
4. Check out our Bite Size training videos to get you started - BitRip Mobile and BitRip Pro
5. We'll even set up ALL your equipment for you with our VALET service - included with BitRip Pro at no extra charge. Just schedule a time with one of the BitRip team members to take advantage of this limited time offer!
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