Low-Cost Replacement Scanner Batteries May Save Retailers Money

Batteries are such small things, but they have a much bigger impact on business than people realize.  Retailers who have done their due diligence and made the decision to switch from standard OEM barcode scanner batteries to the latest power technology have seen an immediate uptick in productivity, many over 30 percent higher, as well as an overall reduction in battery consumption, in some instances as much as 80 percent lower.

This being the case, why are some retailers, distribution centers and warehouses still willing to accept the fact that poor quality OEM batteries equal employee down-time and excessive reorders?  Is it because they don’t realize there’s an alternative that will improve their bottom line?  Or maybe they aren’t aware of the data that exists, which quantifies the savings and measures the increase in operations efficiency?

As the inventors of the longest lasting power source for barcode scanners, Impact Power Technologies (IPT) has taken on the role of customer advocate, in order to help educate decision-makers on why it makes sense to consider batteries when analyzing profit and loss.

A recent IPT case study showed that, out of a group of 63 distribution centers, there was an inexplicable 35-40 percent rise in productivity within 40 of those centers.  An outside auditor conducted an exhaustive analysis to determine the reason for the sudden upturn, only to find that it was due to one simple change—They replaced the OEMs with new IPT batteries in the scanners those centers were using.  As a result, the customer immediately instructed its other 23 distribution centers to convert to IPT batteries as well.

During another series of tests performed by a retail chain together with its scanner device supplier, the incumbent battery was repeatedly pitted against IPT’s Lithium Ion technology.  The results clearly indicated that to stay with the OEM battery would cost them a 25 percent loss in run-time, directly translating to a loss in productivity.  It also demonstrated that, for the same price or even less, IPT batteries would not only last full shift, but also last double the years, ultimately saving them close to 79 percent in annual battery re-order purchases.

These are only a few examples of the ongoing research being implemented by IPT and its customers to validate the overwhelming rationale for taking a serious look at what would seem like an insignificant piece of equipment.  Yet these batteries have out performed every OEM or competitor and proven to have significant impact on profitability and performance numbers.  IPT is a small, privately owned engineering group who specializes in just one thing—making batteries that make a difference.  Their primary goal is to shed light on a new profit source for retailers.