We have a system that is using RIA programs on android scanners  as well as Browser based programs, 

All scans are verified against database entries online.

Our system ,  eWholesale,  has a Warehouse Management System (WMS) module

One company that has two 500k+ sq ft warehouses uses this

   -  no designated location for products

  - WIFI throughout the warehouse

- WMS keeps track of products in locations in the warehouse

            - products are put away to locations

                        - a Receipt of Goods is received to a location

                        - users then transfer products from that location to a platform 

- ( by scanning the location taken from id, which is barcoded,  the platform id, which is barcoded,  and the products , which are barcoded )

                        - they then move the products from the platform to a final location

                                    - each move is entered in a program  ( the user scans barcodes for the platform  ,  the location  where putting to ,  and the product  ( they are all barcoded )

- when need to pick a product

            - a pick slip is created from an invoice

            - tracking labels or shipping labels are also printed with the pick slip  ( on 4x6 labels )  so that as they pick, they can apply labels to the product )

            -  each slip is related to a ‘shipping queue’  which is related to where the product is to be taken to

                        - example,  if shipping by Fedex,   then the slip is related to the queue called ‘Fedex’

                                    - this is used for verification by the system to make sure that Fedex shipments end up at the right Door for shipping

-  for picking,   they scan the pick slip  ( a unique id is barcoded on it ) and a platform for picking ( each platform is labeled )

            - the mobile unit tells the user which location to go to and what product to pick

            - the user  verifies the location and the product and the program updates the server … online  ( they scan the labels )

                        - as they pick, the system tracks that the product was moved from the location to the platform

            - the user can drop the platform off at any time  ( usually to a door )

            - at some point, the platform is moved to a DOOR  ( which is another location,  used for shipping out ),  by scanning the platform label and the door label 

-the DOOR location is verified to be for the ‘shipping queue’ related to the products on the platform

- Shipping out

            - another program is used for Closing the DOOR location  ( by scanning the DOOR label )

                        - this triggers an update to the related invoices to the products at this DOOR location  so that EDI ASN can be sent out

- Cycle count

            - there is another program for cycle counting locations

                        - scan the location id  and then scan the products in the location

                        - the program compares this to what is in the system and makes adjustments as necessary.

The system is highly automated and the company uses EDI for importing in orders and exporting ASN and Invoice data,  so there is little user interaction required 

    ( if all goes ok,  just the printing of the pick slips and the slip  picking )

            The warehouse people come in in the morning and start picking the slips that were generated overnight

( I have skipped a lot of the specific details to try to give a general idea )

Regards
Joe Moore
Magic Information Systems Inc.
support@...
905 738 9650 x 242