Technology is a fluid and ever-changing industry which has had a large, and generally positive impact on many other industries and sectors. More often than not, the use of modern technology serves to increase the speed in which we operate and nowhere is this truer than in the case of the warehouse, the engine room of most businesses.
Various forms of modern technology have been utilized in the supply chain from logistics to warehouse management and here are just some of the ways in which technology has sped up the process.
Non-Store Retailing
The first thing to note is that since the dawn of internet shopping, we have piled a great deal more pressure onto warehouses, which, as a result, have turned into e-commerce retailers. This technology itself has forced more and more warehouses to use tech which can speed up the operation to deliver to the consumer.
Picking
The entire process of picking the stock from its racking has been greatly improved and sped up through technology such as barcode scanning, robotic picking and smart data. Gone are the days of searching throughout the warehouse for an item, these days all of that information is stored on a central computer and through the use of PDAs, warehouse staff can go directly to the product. There are some warehouses that are using automated picking machines so that as soon as a product is ordered, a robotic arm can select the item and move it to shipping. The future of picking appears to be moving far more towards this kind of automation, ensuring high accuracy and speed.
Tracking
Thanks to the new generation of tracking equipment, businesses now have more information than ever about what is happening with its products, from the moment that it leaves the warehouse until it reaches its destination. From a consumer point of view, the consignment tracking technology which is being used can also offer them with the information that they need about their order which helps towards customer satisfaction and trust building.
Stock Management
With the sophisticated software which warehouses are now using, we have the greatest insights in terms of stock holding and potential stock demand that we have ever had. No longer will businesses be required to refuse an order because something is out of stock, nor will they be overburdened with items which stay in the warehouse for great lengths of time. Software for logistics not only operates within the warehouse, it also has the ability to converse with other types of software such as business forecasting, customer trends, customer searches, and stock level management. This cross-referencing of business software will ensure that each warehouse operator has all of the information that they could possibly need, right at their fingertips.
Technology looks set to continue to revolutionize the warehouse industry in the coming years as more automation and more detailed data analysis software is rolled out to businesses that are looking to increase their speed, their accuracy, and their overall warehouse management.
