Bar Code Scanner
Fleet Maintenance Pro: Shop Edition does have the ability to link up a bar code scanner with our inventory system. You can assign a UPC code to a part and scan that same part in various locations within the software.
Which type of Bar Code Scanner do you recommend using?
The Symbol LS2208 is recommended. However, any keyboard wedge style should work.
As an alternative, there is an application you can download for free called Barcode To PC. If your desktop and phone are on the same network, your phone can act as the bar code scanner and send bar code scans to the PC. There is a portion of the software you install on your desktop and an app you install on your phone.
Here is the link for the program:
https://barcodetopc.com/
Disclaimer: This program is not created by us so we cannot offer any support on the install or usage of this third-party application.
How to assign a Bar Code to a part?
Open up your Inventory screen. Right click on a part and go to Edit. Enter in the bar code within the UPC box and Save. This also works if you are adding a new part to the system.
Note: You should be able to click inside the UPC box and then scan the bar code to automatically populate the box and save some data entry time.
My Bar Code scanner isn't populating into the boxes. How to fix?
Go to Setup and click User Preferences. Click the Advanced tab. Make sure "Barcode Enabled" is checked.
If it's already checked and it's still not working, you may need to test it out with different software to make sure it's not a hardware issue, and that your bar code scanner is physically functional.
Using Bar Code Scanning Within Work Orders
When you are in the Work Order screen, you can scan parts that are used and the information will be automatically recorded.
Inside of the Edit Work Order screen you should be able to simply scan the bar code. As long as you have a part in inventory that is linked to that bar code, the Add Part window should automatically appear with that part's info pulled up. Adjust quantity as needed and save.
You can also Add or Edit a maintenance task within a Work Order and then scan the bar code. This will assign the part to that specific task.
Using Bar Code Scanning Within Purchase Orders
While in the Edit Purchase Order screen, you can scan a bar code of a part to add it to the Purchase Order. The "Add Item To Purchase Order" window will automatically appear upon scanning.
Where else can I use a bar code scanner within the software?
You can assign a bar code to a piece of equipment in order to quickly pull it up from your Equipment List.
To set this up, go to Setup at the top and click User Preferences. Click on Equipment to the right. Under the Advanced box set what you'd like the barcode field to be on your equipment. This is where the UPC code will be saved/stored, as it doesn't already come with a UPC box like the inventory parts do.
The default is set to Serial # but you can set it to one of the custom fields on the Edit Equipment window as well.
On your Edit Equipment screen, here is an example of where the UPC code could go, based on what you code in Setup.
Once you have a code setup here, you can scan and have the equipment automatically pull up from your equipment list.