January 17, 2025
Roman Kreynin
Before developing software for movers, the author of this article spent over 20 years in the moving industry, starting in the 1990s. His career began as a mover, then evolved into packing, crew leadership, and eventually owning an international moving company.
He first encountered colorful tags while unloading containers of personal belongings from the U.S. These small, brightly colored stickers (tags) often stuck to clothing, got lost, and caused significant inconvenience when verifying items against the inventory list before recipients signed the paperwork.
Later, he discovered that these tags used special adhesive that didn’t leave marks on furniture. In the early 20th century, such Zebra RFID tags became a popular solution, especially when labor was abundant: a supervisor applied the tags, movers wrapped furniture in blankets, and then verification was conducted. Over time, packing materials became more sophisticated, incorporating cardboard and plastic. However, the tags remained the same, leading to confusion as they detached from packaging and stuck to nearby items or employees’ clothing, resulting in conflicts and claims of missing items.
Modern technology has provided a solution: labels with specialized adhesive. Using label printers, information about the shipment, barcodes, or QR codes can be printed on these labels. The data is easily scanned and transferred into a system, simplifying workflows and reducing errors.
Initially, Zebra RFID labels and printers were offered by equipment vendors who paid little attention to how their products fit into moving companies’ operations. The author encountered this issue firsthand. In one international moving company, an expensive label printer and software for barcode printing were purchased. However, when the company owner asked how to integrate barcodes into their processes, it turned out additional purchases were required for scanners and a database system — leading to significant extra costs.
Many companies abandoned full automation due to these expenses, opting instead to display barcodes as a superficial sign of an “automated” warehouse.
Voxme has developed a comprehensive solution: printing labels using Zebra printers and scanning barcodes with standard smartphones. These features are integrated into specialized software for movers, which is already used by leading industry companies. Previously, such solutions were costly — at least $30,000 for a package.
Now, thanks to cloud technologies, Voxme offers an affordable solution through its portal bingo.voxme.com.
A Zebra printer priced at $800 lasts over 10 years, and the cost of 100 labels is about $1 — nearly the same as outdated colorful tags.
Many companies that have tested this technology reported the following benefits:
Voxme’s solution combines affordability and efficiency, enabling even small moving companies to reap the benefits of automation.
Head office:
28 Finch Avenue West, Unit 201,Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M2N 2G7
