Creating Better Customer Service With Better Networking
Committed to functional design and innovation, MCS Industries has delivered its home décor products to households around the world. One of the guiding principles of MCS is “be a good global citizen,” and that means showing dedication to delivering highly desirable products to their clients while utilizing responsible sourcing practices. To do this, MCS has spent significant time understanding how their products will be made and used, and what impact their processes have on the environment, all while maintaining the highest safety standards in their development processes. The team at MCS is filled with experts who are dedicated to achieving customer satisfaction through excellence in design, global manufacturing, and supply chain management.
Challenge
MCS Industries has grown over the last few years and to accommodate the increased demand, they recently acquired a new warehouse location in Easton, Pennsylvania. The MCS team relies on a wireless network infrastructure to help support their packing and shipping process while providing a quality customer experience. This wireless infrastructure streamlines the process by using handheld devices that enables their team members to know how many items to pack, print labels, and adjust inventories in real time. With the acquisition of this new warehouse, the MCS team needed to figure out the best way to deploy a wireless network in the 300,000 square foot facility while taking into account the varying amounts of product, shelving, forklifts, conveyors, and rollers, as these can wreak havoc on wireless signal performance.
Solutions
In order to develop an effective wireless plan, MCS needed to perform a wireless site survey, which allows an engineer to understand how wireless signals behave in the environment.
Hammer Tech’s engineering team used specialized wireless test equipment to measure radio frequency (RF) signal across the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Our tools create a wireless heatmap that shows how each access point will react when placed in the environment. In addition to identifying overall wireless performance, we looked at how the space would be used. By doing so, we could develop a wireless deployment plan that, once implemented, would keep MCS’s wireless connection strong even as they used the warehouse space to service their clients.
Using this information, we helped MCS determine how many access points, what types of antennas to purchase, and where to install them to get optimal coverage. By giving a detailed breakdown of the access point makes and models; the configuration recommendations with channels, signal strengths, and frequencies; as well as the mounting bracket types, the MCS team can have faith that their wireless network will provide a stable, high-quality wireless network for them to operate in.
Results
Using the wireless site survey developed by the engineering team at Hammer Tech, MCS was able to purchase exactly what was required to provide optimal coverage and the best staff-experience for their new facility without adding unnecessary costs.
Today, this warehouse is abuzz with product and staff, connected and dedicated in their pursuit to deliver their highly desirable home décor products all over the world.
The Hammer Tech team was quick, diligent, and very responsive to what we were trying to accomplish. Their deep knowledge of wireless connectivity has given us invaluable tools to help us serve our customers.”
