In today’s warehouses, barcoding delivers speed and accuracy. But what happens when labels are unavailable, vendors ship without them, or your existing bin racking and printed lot numbers lack barcodes? Many teams face difficult choices. They can spend time and money printing and applying new labels everywhere, or they can rely on slower manual entry that risks errors.
At Insight Works, they offer a more practical middle ground. Their warehouse apps for Business Central, Warehouse Insight, and the free WMS Express now make barcode-free scanning a realistic and accurate option via optical character recognition (OCR), also known as text scanning, on compatible rugged mobile devices from manufacturers like Honeywell and Datalogic.
Whether you are receiving goods, performing inventory counts, inquiring about bins, or handling lot and serial tracked items, you can point your scanner at printed human-readable text and capture the data as reliably and nearly as quickly as a traditional barcode scan. No relabeling is required. No extra hardware is needed beyond what many warehouses already use.
The Real-World Challenges of Warehouse Data Capture
Most warehouses start with the ideal situation: vendor or manufacturer barcodes already on incoming product. These scans are instantly processed and cross-referenced cleanly in Business Central via item references, GTIN fields, or custom mappings. This provides the physical verification that keeps your virtual inventory in sync with the physical world.
When vendor barcodes are unavailable, the next step is often to print your own. With the Insight Works Barcode Generator PowerTool, you can add one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcodes, including Data Matrix and GS1 128, to standard or custom Business Central reports. You can print labels during receiving or pre-print them. The free PrintNode Connector PowerTool lets you print directly from handheld devices, so labels appear at the assigned printer without extra steps.
These tools integrate seamlessly with Business Central, so everything stays inside the platform you already know. No third-party label software is required.
Yet printing labels for every item, every lot, or retrofitting hundreds of existing bin locations is not always practical. This is where OCR text scanning becomes a powerful addition to your toolkit.
Barcode Free Scanning with OCR: Scan Printed Text Directly
Optical character recognition lets your rugged Android device read legible printed text such as item numbers, vendor product codes, lot numbers, serial numbers, expiration dates, or bin codes almost as fast as scanning a barcode.
Here is how it works in practice with Warehouse Insight and WMS Express:
- When receiving without barcodes, a box arrives with the item number or vendor code clearly printed on the side. Point the scanner, capture the text, and the system finds the matching line in your purchase order or warehouse receipt. Enter the quantity or let it default, and the update posts to Business Central in real time.
- For lot and serial capture, scan a UPC or item barcode first if one is present, then quickly scan the human-readable lot or serial text printed on the packaging. The data populates automatically with no manual typing required.
- For bin locations, many warehouses already have bin codes labeled on racking. Scan the existing printed text instead of printing and applying new barcode labels. Walk up, aim, and inquire or move inventory with full accuracy.
- In mixed environments, use barcodes where available for maximum speed and verification, and fall back to OCR text scanning or even manual entry where they are not. The system handles all options smoothly.
On devices like certain Honeywell models, you simply aim, and the scanner instantly recognizes and captures matching text. On Datalogic models, a quick preview lets you confirm the correct text before final confirmation. In both cases, the experience feels natural and fast.
OCR works best with reasonably clear and well-spaced printed text. For critical fields like lot numbers, you can define simple rules on the device to ensure accurate interpretation, for example, distinguishing LOT from similar-looking characters.
Once captured at receiving, you can immediately print a proper barcode label for that lot or item using your existing reports. From that point forward, downstream processes such as picking, shipping, and counts benefit from fast and reliable barcode scanning while maintaining real-time accuracy in Business Central.
Why This Matters for Efficiency and Accuracy
Barcode-free scanning with OCR delivers several key benefits:
- It reduces manual work and eliminates typing errors.
- It speeds up processes for items or locations without barcodes.
- It lowers implementation barriers because there is no need to relabel every bin or force vendors to change their processes right away. You can start scanning today with what you already have.
- Every scan, whether barcode or text, updates Business Central instantly and provides managers with accurate on-floor data for better decision-making.
WMS Express, which is free for core receiving, picking, and shipping, as well as inventory counts and movements, includes this OCR capability right out of the box for businesses using standard or basic warehouse setups in Business Central Cloud. Warehouse Insight adds deeper customization through the App Designer, license plate tracking, advanced counts, and our full suite of complementary apps, making it ideal for more complex or targeted warehousing needs.
Both solutions run on Android-based rugged devices, with support for existing Windows legacy hardware in some cases, and require minimal setup. Install the extension from AppSource, run the assisted setup, configure your device with a quick barcode scan, and you are ready to go.
Getting Started Is Straightforward
Getting up and running with barcode-free scanning is simple:
- Install WMS Express or Warehouse Insight from Microsoft Marketplace.
- Use the assisted setup to connect to your location and configure scanning behaviors.
- Leverage the Barcode Generator PowerTool for easy label creation and testing. The sample barcode sheet is especially useful for demos and daily operations.
- Pair with compatible devices. Many modern Honeywell and Datalogic models support fast text and OCR capture alongside traditional barcodes.
- For cloud printing from handhelds, add the free PrintNode Connector PowerTool.
The Insight Works’ knowledge base provides detailed guides on device configuration, scan behaviors, and optimizing for your specific warehouse setup. If you are already live with Business Central inventory or warehousing, adding mobile scanning, with or without full barcoding, is remarkably quick.
Ready to Move Beyond Traditional Barcoding Limitations?
Barcode scanning remains the gold standard for speed and verification in high-volume warehouses. Yet OCR text scanning removes a major friction point, making mobile warehouse management more accessible, adaptable, and cost-effective without forcing a complete relabeling project.
Whether you are starting small with the free WMS Express or scaling with the full power of Warehouse Insight, Insight Works gives you options that fit your processes and existing setup, not the other way around.
Visit WMSforDynamics.com or WMSExpress.com to learn more, explore hardware options, or request a demo from your Microsoft Partner.
Insight Works solutions extend Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with real-time mobile warehouse and inventory tools, including barcode and text scanning on rugged devices.