London Fog Stays in the Forefront of Fashion with New Wireless & Mobile Systems from Barcoding, Inc.

London Fog Industries, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is the pre-eminent outerwear brand in America. Started in 1922 in Baltimore, Maryland, London Fog designs and manufactures quality outerwear, rainwear and accessories sold at fine department stores and specialty retailers nationwide.

Renowned for its tradition of apparel innovation, London Fog developed rubberized waterproof rainwear for American soldiers during World War II, created the first zip-out coat lining in the 1950s, and in the 1960s became the first apparel company to advertise on television.

Today, London Fog continues to successfully combine fashion and function to the delight of its many loyal customers.

At its main manufacturing facility in Eldersburg, Maryland, London Fog faced the challenge of upgrading its inventory and shipping/receiving hardware and applications to accommodate greater wireless flexibility and allow for future technology developments.

They had previously been using Symbol Technologies’ Spectrum One® wireless technology (now part of Motorola Solutions) within their warehouse with LDT 3810 laser data terminals. Eventually, their hand-held equipment began to become outdated and repair costs were climbing.

“The new system allows us to process data in real time, improving our operational efficiency and overall customer satisfaction”Dave Stenstrom, Manager, Technical Infrastructure & Computer Operations, London Fog Industries, Inc.

London Fog also realized the importance of mobile computing, looking forward to using laptops and PC stations within their warehouses for their future applications. Therefore, the main challenge was to find the right system to handle all their wireless needs while maintaining similar hand-helds to continue their successful operation.

The integration of multiple platforms as well as ensuring 100% coverage in the unique Eldersburg facility were also considerations that any new system had to address.

In the spring of 2002, London Fog sought the expertise of Barcoding, Inc., a full-service systems integrator of both bar code-based data collection and wireless communications systems and equipment.

Barcoding specializes in streamlining manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution operations through the implementation of automatic identification and data collection systems.

They were brought in to explore the new hardware and applications options and evaluate available systems to determine which offered the right combination of features and functionality for London Fog’s present and future requirements.

Barcoding recommended a new Symbol Technologies Spectrum24® 11 Mbps direct sequence wireless local area network for its Ethernet speed and IEEE 802.11b compliance, coupled with new PDT 6846 portable data terminals.

They conducted a site survey, performed consultation, installation, and integration of the technology, and supplied all the hardware and professional services to bring London Fog’s inventory and shipping/receiving applications up to date smoothly with minimal disruption to operations.

The solution was activated in the fall of 2002 and allows London Fog employees to wirelessly scan items and communicate accurate inventory data to the host computer in real time.

London Fog expects a quick payback on its investment through the efficiencies gained from a faster, more accurate way of transferring data and a more convenient way of wirelessly communicating throughout the facility.

In addition, London Fog is now prepared for more data intensive applications on a variety of data control devices, such as pen tablets, laptops, and PC workstations.

London Fog is highly appreciative of the benefits their new system provides and the important contributions Barcoding made to the success of the implementation.

“The new system allows us to process data in real time, improving our operational efficiency and overall customer satisfaction,” says Dave Stenstrom, Manager, Technical Infrastructure/Computer Operations, London Fog Industries, Inc. “Barcoding, Inc.‘s expertise was instrumental in our seamless transition from our old system to our new wireless network.”

Jay Steinmetz, president of Barcoding, Inc., says, “Wireless bar code scanning technology empowers the users to complete their work accurately and in real time at the instant and at the location that the work is done.

The benefits of a wireless local area network far exceed those of any other kind of data collection platform on the market today. London Fog is one of the most recent of our customers to realize this and joins many other satisfied customers of Barcoding, Inc.‘s wireless integration.”