It is the method of calculating capacity for the storage, handling, transporting and invoicing of goods.
In 1985, the Norwegian company Cargoscan, which officially became part of the Mettler Toledo group in 2000, began supplying dimensioners and data capture products to transport and logistics companies around the world.
It seemed that if carriers were to take both weight and volume into consideration when invoicing, they could charge customers more fairly according to services provided and make better use of resources.
In the warehousing industry, dimensioning is used to provide an overview of the volume items in stock which can reduce the costs of materials, return handling, shipping and manpower.
The main reasons that companies choose to invest in automated dimensioning systems include reduced operational costs, revenue recovery, increased throughput, reduced returns and quality control.