A warehouse runs on two things: knowing where everything is, and proving where it went. Every scan and every label is a link in that chain, and one weak link is a mispick, a lost pallet or a delivery you cannot account for.
You move stock through goods-in, putaway, picking, packing and dispatch every day, and the whole operation depends on devices that scan first time and labels that survive the journey. When a scanner is slow to wake, a label peels off in a cold store, or a device dies halfway through a shift, the cost is not just that moment, it is the knock-on through every order behind it. That is the part Sirap takes on. We are a Zebra-certified specialist, which means we cover the full chain of capture and marking a logistics operation runs on, from the rugged computer in a picker’s hand to the SSCC label on the pallet to the fixed scanner reading cartons off a conveyor. We specify, deploy, configure and support the hardware so the technology is never the reason an order is late.
Logistics is where data capture either works or quietly costs you money all day. Receiving has to be fast and accurate, putaway has to record the right location, picking has to be hands-free where it can be, and dispatch has to produce GS1-compliant case and pallet labels that scan cleanly at the next door in the chain. The right answer is rarely one device, because a receiving dock, a chilled pick face, a ring scanner on a picker’s hand and a print-and-apply station at dispatch have genuinely different demands. This hub maps the common warehouse and logistics jobs to the equipment that solves each one, so you can see where your operation fits before you talk to anyone.
From goods-in to dispatch: matching the device to the job
Goods-in receiving and verification
Receiving sets the accuracy of everything downstream, so a fast, reliable read at the dock is worth more than it looks. Zebra TC5-Series mobile computers and DS3600 ultra-rugged scanners decode 1D, 2D, GS1-128 and damaged or shrink-wrapped barcodes first time, so goods are checked in against the order at the speed deliveries actually arrive. We tie the reads into your warehouse system so a discrepancy is flagged at the door, not discovered at the pick face.
Putaway and location management
Stock put away to the wrong location is stock you have effectively lost until someone trips over it. The Zebra MC3400 rugged computer scans the item and the location bin in one flow and confirms the move to your system, so the recorded location and the real one always agree. Its long-range scanning option reads high-rack and ground locations without a ladder, which keeps a putaway operator moving instead of climbing.
Hands-free order picking
Every second a picker spends putting a device down to lift a carton is a second lost across thousands of picks a day, which is why high-volume pick faces go hands-free. The Zebra WS50 wearable computer worn on the wrist or back of the hand, paired with the RS2100 ring scanner, lets the picker scan and confirm while both hands stay on the goods. The throughput gain on a busy pick line is usually the easiest part of the business case to prove.
Heavy-duty and cold-store picking
A freezer pick face and a high-throughput distribution centre punish a device in ways a back office never sees: drops onto concrete, condensation coming in and out of the cold, and gloved hands. The Zebra MC9400 ultra-rugged computer is built for exactly that, with long-range scanning, a freezer-rated variant and a keypad that works in gloves, so the device is not the thing that fails in the hardest part of the building.
Wearable computing for the full pick-and-pack flow
Some operations want a full wearable terminal, not just a scanner, so the picker carries a screen and a workflow without carrying a handheld. The Zebra WT6400 wearable computer mounts on the arm and runs your picking and packing application directly, paired with a ring scanner for capture, so the worker sees the next task and confirms it without ever reaching for a separate device.
SSCC pallet and GS1-128 case labels
The label on the outside of a case or pallet is what the next operator in the chain scans, so it has to carry a correct SSCC and GS1-128 data and survive the trip to get there. The Zebra ZT600-Series industrial printer produces high-volume, high-durability logistics labels with the SSCC, GS1-128 and routing data your customers require, pulled from your warehouse system. We set the label formats to your customers' real specifications so a pallet is never turned away at their dock.
Automated print-and-apply at dispatch
At dispatch volumes, hand-applying labels is both slow and a source of placement errors that cause scan failures downstream. A Zebra ZT-Series printer configured for print-and-apply prints the shipping label and places it in the same defined position on every case or pallet, pulling variable data from your system, so the label is consistent, correctly placed and scannable every time without an operator in the loop.
Fixed scanning at conveyors and dock doors
Where product moves on a conveyor or through a dock door, a fixed scanner reads it automatically without anyone holding a device. Zebra FS-Series fixed industrial scanners read cases as they pass on a sortation line or through a portal, feeding the read straight into your system for routing or verification. It turns a manual scan point into an automatic one, which removes both the labour and the missed read.
RFID tracking for pallets and assets
Where you need to read many items at once, or track returnable assets without line of sight, RFID does what a barcode cannot. Zebra WS50 RFID wearables and RFID-enabled mobile computers, paired with Zebra ZipShip RFID labels and inlays, read tagged pallets and assets in bulk and track returnable equipment around a site. We scope where RFID actually pays against barcode, rather than tagging everything for the sake of it.
Cold-chain and freezer labelling
A label that lifts off a frozen carton, or a device that fogs and fails coming out of the cold, is a problem unique to chilled and frozen logistics. The fix is matching the media and the hardware to the temperature: deep-freeze adhesives and synthetic label stock that stay stuck at sub-zero, printed on a Zebra industrial printer, read by a freezer-rated rugged computer. This is the kind of detail we settle during the site survey, because the wrong label in a cold store fails quietly until a pallet is unaccounted for.
Proof of delivery, yard and vehicle workflows
The chain does not end at your dock; the driver still has to scan, capture a signature and prove delivery on the road. Zebra TC7-Series mobile computers are built for outdoor and in-cab use, with bright-light-readable screens, mobile data and the durability a vehicle round demands, so proof of delivery is captured and synced rather than written on paper and lost. The same device handles yard moves and trailer loading checks.
Genuine supplies and device uptime
An off-brand label or ribbon is the fastest way to ruin a printhead or produce a code that will not scan at the next door in the chain, and a device with no spare battery is a picker standing idle. We hold genuine Zebra labels and ribbons locally, matched to your printers and conditions, and provide Malta-based service cover and spare-pool options so a dead device or a media run-out never takes a shift down with it.
Devices specified for your operation, not picked off a shelf
What Sirap covers in a warehouse and logistics operation
The devices are the visible part; the configuration, media and service around them are what keep the operation moving. Across a typical logistics engagement we handle:
- Mobile computing and scanning across goods-in, putaway, picking and dispatch
- Hands-free wearable and ring-scanner picking for high-volume pick faces
- SSCC, GS1-128 and shipping-label printing, including automated print-and-apply
- Fixed scanning at conveyors, sortation and dock doors
- RFID where bulk reads or asset tracking justify it
- Cold-chain media and freezer-rated devices for chilled and frozen storage
- On-site operation survey, specification and fleet staging
- Device configuration and label-format setup to your warehouse system
- Operator training, including in Maltese
- Genuine Zebra labels and ribbons held locally
- Malta-based service cover and spare-pool options
When a simpler device, or a different tool, is the right call
More hardware is not always the answer, and overselling a fleet would cost you trust. A low-volume store or a back-room operation does not need ultra-rugged terminals or RFID; a desktop printer and a handful of general-purpose scanners do the job for far less. Equally, hands-free wearables only pay where pick volume is high enough to justify them, and fixed scanning only earns its place where product genuinely flows on a line. The honest position is that most operations run a mix, and the right specification is the smallest set of devices that genuinely does the job at each point. We will tell you when the cheaper option is the right one rather than sell you a fleet you do not need.
Can a warehouse technology upgrade be grant-funded?
Often, yes. Moving from paper to scanning, or upgrading an ageing device fleet to improve accuracy and throughput, is exactly the kind of efficiency and digitalisation investment Malta Enterprise schemes are designed to support. A warehouse upgrade frequently qualifies for co-funding, provided you apply before you commit to the purchase, which is the one rule that disqualifies most applicants. Our guide to Malta Enterprise grants for coding and labelling walks through which scheme fits and how to keep the application valid. We can provide the itemised quotation and the technical benefit statement an application needs.
What happens when you call us?
- We walk the operation. We look at the flow, the environment, the throughput and the conditions at goods-in, putaway, picking and dispatch, and the labels your customers require, before we recommend anything.
- We specify and quote. You get a specified, itemised proposal matched to your operation, written so it also supports a grant application if you intend to apply for one.
- We configure and deploy. We stage the fleet, configure devices to your system, set up and verify your label formats, and train your operators so the floor runs without us.