TaylorMade-Adidas Takes a Swing at Wireless

摘要

Counting golf clubs isn't as much fun as actually playing golf, but it's an important way for golf club manufacturers to check on how well their merchandise is actually selling in stores. Taking inventory is a tedious business, and salespeople at TaylorMade-adidas Golf found themselves spending up to 60 percent of their time at sporting goods stores, pro shops, and other retail outlets tallying their golf clubs, footwear, and apparel. There had to be a better way, and the company decided to try a portable wire-' less solution that would enable sales reps to scan in the bar codes of golf clubs directly from store shelves and stockrooms and quickly take count. That system hooked into the Carlsbad, Calif.-based company's supply chain management and order entry systems, allowing it to work with retailers on replenishing their stock and convincing them to devote more shelf space to the company's best-selling clubs.