A paper picking list requires three to four people to handle from printing to archiving, whereas a light-picking system can push tasks to shelves with a single touch on the screen. Suppose a hypothetical new energy battery factory has 200 line-side locations. If daily material picking relies on paper lists, the time spent searching for items, verifying them, and modifying orders causes the production line to wait through multiple cycles. The issue is not whether workers are diligent, but that the information transmission method is outdated. For new energy battery electronic label picking to run smoothly, success does not come from installation alone, but from making regular inspections and exception handling routine daily actions.
1. Daily Inspection: Check Lights, Lines, and Gateways
The core of electronic label picking is ensuring lights illuminate accurately and extinguish correctly. Spend five minutes walking around the shelves before each shift starts: verify if label displays are clear, if button rebound is normal, and if there are color deviations between shelf lights and aisle warning lights. Labels support seven colors for flashing or steady illumination; white, red, blue, green, yellow, cyan, and purple each have specific functions. Disordered colors often indicate that task status synchronization has failed.
Communication lines are the second inspection point. Two-wire power line communication combines power supply and data transmission on a single pair of wires. While pin insertion without wire breaking eliminates wiring complexity, loose connectors and cable trays under pressure remain common hazards. During inspection, feel the cable routing to check if they are crushed by turnover boxes or scraped by forklifts.
Do not ignore gateway status. A single gateway channel supports 100 to 200 labels. Once a gateway goes offline, all lights in the entire shelf section go dark. Confirming gateway indicator lights and client online status daily is far more efficient than troubleshooting after the fact.
2. Periodic Maintenance: Monthly "Physical Examination"
Schedule a systematic maintenance session once a month. Wipe label casings with a dry cloth to prevent alcohol from seeping into button gaps; check pin contact points for oxidation or blackening; and re-tighten fixing screws for shelf lights and warning lights. Clean dust from cooling vents on the touch client all-in-one machine. The advantage of locally produced industrial control computers is familiarity with the structure and availability of matching spare parts, eliminating the need to wait for external vendor schedules.
Synchronize data backup on the system side. It is recommended to export picking task records, label address mapping tables, and WMS interface configurations weekly once. Replacing a broken label is trivial, but losing a mapping table and having to reconfigure it is troublesome.
3. Fault Troubleshooting: Handling Three High-Frequency Exceptions
The first type is a single light failure. Test the label at a different location first. If the light illuminates, the issue lies with the original location's wiring or pins; if it does not, the label itself is faulty. Under the anti-collision active upload mechanism, individual label offline events will not crash the entire channel. Locate the specific address and replace the unit.
The second type is a light illuminating with an incorrect quantity. This problem usually occurs during task distribution. Verify consistency between the WMS outbound list and the task on the touch client, then check if the number of digits displayed on the label matches. Whether using four-digit, six-digit, or five-digit displays, insufficient digit selection during configuration will cause truncation.
The third type is an entire shelf section failing to light up. Prioritize checking gateway power supply and communication lines, then verify if the client task is stuck. With two-wire communication extending up to one kilometer, intermediate connectors become weak points during long-distance cabling. Segmental short-circuiting can quickly locate the break point.
4. Preventive Maintenance: Blocking Exceptions Before They Occur
Prevention is more cost-effective than emergency repair. Establish a label address ledger and verify the correspondence between physical locations and system addresses quarterly. Update the ledger immediately after any shelf adjustments. Maintain spare parts inventory at a 5% ratio for labels and shelf lights, which is far more economical than waiting for parts while the line stops.
New energy battery electronic label picking has a unique characteristic: it often links with ESOP workstations. During maintenance, include this link in the inspection scope—ensuring the barcode scanner reads correctly, lights illuminate properly, and inventory deductions are accurate. All three links are indispensable.
5. Exception Handling Procedure: Clearly Define Who Does What and When
It is recommended to post the handling procedure next to the shelves. Upon discovering an exception, the operator turns off the label and marks it on the client. The team leader determines within ten minutes whether to replace the label or report a repair. IT or equipment personnel locate the address based on the ledger. Simple faults are resolved on-site with part replacement; complex issues record the phenomenon and timestamp, with direct connection to local service via the after-sales group. The shorter the process, the less time the production line waits for materials.
This foundation placed on operations means that configuration logic and spare parts systems remain continuous, avoiding the need to relearn everything when software versions change.
Scheduling inspections, maintenance, troubleshooting, and spare parts management into team shifts will significantly reduce line stoppage frequency. Ultimately, maintenance is not about how deep the technology is, but whether someone performs these tasks according to the rhythm.