WAREHOUSING FOR THE FUTURE
Technology leads the way in efficiency, safety, and accountability
This month’s Special Report looks in-depth at the benefits and challenges brought about by new warehousing technologies. We speak to both the end-users, and the technology companies that are revolutionising warehousing.
“By 2020, an estimated 25 billion smart devices — ranging from home thermostats, appliances, and cars to innovative software and commercial equipment — will assist businesses in becoming more intelligent and connected to the world,” according to a Socialnomics report. This surge in connected devices means more accountability at all levels of the supply chain, better insights into operations, and operational challenges, as well as increased efficiency.
Many are calling this the ‘next industrial revolution’, because such huge and widely-felt changes are gripping industries at all levels.
For example, in the warehousing sector, robots are doing the jobs of humans, sorting, picking and packing. Warehouse control systems are becoming more and more common, these systems control every intelligent connected device within the warehouse and can be controlled from a handheld device. These control systems can speed up processes, and improve just about every aspect of operations.
Even something as simple as introducing barcode scanning technologies, and RFID systems can exponentially improve operational efficiency.
Mobile workstations, and cloud computing, although older technologies, are reducing errors, and enabling better operational insights.
These are just a couple of examples of how warehousing is revolutionising, this special report in the following pages will look at even more.