By John Wall
Even before it begins taking form, a Simonton patio door has an identity. Or rather, it has several identities, because Simonton's computers already have memorized the bar codes that apply to the glass, sash and casing, and hardware going into the product. When completed, the door gets another bar code that ties the finished product to Simonton records confirming the glass installed, the vinyl color, the hardware, and special instructions. The data not only help Simonton for warranty or replacement purposes but also for something just as important: to ensure that the right product is getting loaded onto the right truck.
That's a lot of information that could be useful to the dealer that receives the order, particularly if the dealer in turn could supplement Simonton's bar code data with its own vital details regarding who ordered that patio door and into which home it will go. Until recently, many manufacturers of larger, non-retail building materials, such as windows and doors, haven't shared with pro dealers any of the fruits of the extensive tagging and database building that the manufacturers had created for their own purposes. Now there are signs that's changing. The first baby steps have typically involved providing Web access to tracking information and providing bare-bones bar-coding info for dealers to use when receiving shipments. The next steps, which would require much more sharing of electronic data, would speed the processing of shipments.
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