Use-Case – GT-100E Handheld Thermal Inkjet Printer

The Challenge

A construction materials supplier in Graz, Austria ships concrete blocks, bricks, and paving stones from multiple outdoor yards and indoor warehouses. Each pallet must be clearly identified with product code, batch, and location for traceability.

Operators were using paint markers and adhesive stickers on shrink wrap or bare concrete. On rough and dusty pallets, handwritten IDs faded or smeared, stickers peeled off, and barcodes were rarely scannable. Around 180 pallets/day were marked manually, consuming hours of labor and generating frequent identification errors.

Mislabelled pallets caused picking mistakes and yard searches, leading to an average of 6 pallets/day requiring rework or re-shipment. This meant extra handling time, forklift usage, and occasional express transport to meet delivery deadlines.

Manual Process

Before introducing the GT-100E, the team relied on paint markers for basic text and pre-printed stickers for barcodes when they worked at all. The process varied by operator and weather conditions, and there was no reliable way to ensure codes were legible and scannable.

Before Automation:

• Daily volume: 180 pallets/day
• Cycle time per pallet: 2 minutes (writing product code, batch, and applying or attempting a sticker)
• Total daily time: 180 × 2 = 360 minutes (6.0 hours/day)
• Labor cost: 6.0 hours × €25/hour = €150/day
• Rework/issues: 6 pallets/day needing re-identification and extra handling (≈ 1.5 hours/day of forklift/yard time, partially included in the above)

In wet or cold weather, paint dried slowly and stickers failed more often, increasing rework. Barcodes were often skipped because printed labels would not adhere reliably to rough concrete blocks, limiting any automation in the warehouse management system.

Automated Solution

The supplier implemented the GT-100E Handheld Thermal Inkjet Printer to replace paint markers and most stickers. The device was configured with warehouse-approved templates including product code, batch, date, and a GS1 barcode that could be scanned at dispatch and delivery.

Operators now carry the GT-100E on their route, quickly selecting the correct message on the 5-inch touchscreen and printing high-contrast, scannable codes directly on stretch film or on a primed patch applied to rough blocks. The printer is used both in handheld mode in outdoor yards and mounted on a small stand near indoor lines.

After Installing GT-100E Handheld Thermal Inkjet Printer:

• Machine operates at 60% of maximum capacity for reliability
• New cycle time: 0.8 minutes/pallet (select template, position, and print barcode/text in one pass)
• Total daily time: 180 × 0.8 = 144 minutes (2.4 hours/day)
• Labor cost: 2.4 hours × €25/hour = €60/day
• Quality improvement: mislabel/rework reduced from 6 pallets/day to ≤ 1 pallet/day thanks to durable, scannable barcodes

Ink consumption is tracked via RFID cartridges, allowing the planner to schedule cartridge changes and avoid unplanned downtime. Standardized printing also simplified training across shifts and locations.

ROI Calculation

Investment:
Machine price: €699
Daily labor savings: Before €150/day − After €60/day = €90/day
Conservative allocation to ROI (labor only, excluding rework and transport gains): €50/day
Monthly savings (22 working days): €50/day × 22 = €1,100/month
Payback period: €699 ÷ €1,100/month ≈ 0.64 months (under 3 weeks)

Even when factoring only 60% of the labor savings to allow for breaks and non-marking activities, the GT-100E pays back in well under one month. Including reduced rework, fewer express shipments, and better use of forklift time, the full economic benefit is higher than the conservative figure above.

Conclusion

By replacing paint markers and unreliable stickers with the GT-100E Handheld Thermal Inkjet Printer, the construction materials supplier standardized pallet identification across outdoor yards and warehouses. Marking time per pallet dropped by 60%, while mislabel-related rework fell by about 90%.

The project delivered a fast payback and freed operators and forklifts for productive work instead of searching for and re-labelling pallets. The ability to print clear, scannable barcodes on rough and wrapped surfaces also tightened inventory accuracy and improved customer delivery performance.

“With the GT-100E we cut pallet marking time from about 6 hours to just 2.4 hours per day and virtually eliminated barcode failures in the yard. Saving around €50 in labor every day meant the printer paid for itself in well under a month, while our dispatch team now trusts the pallet IDs completely.” — Markus Huber, Operations Manager, Steiermark Baustoffe GmbH / Graz, Austria