Technology is playing a pivotal role in improving the performance of warehouses in terms of efficiency and safety. This increases warehouses’ production because activities are carried out fast, and workers feel safer when working in warehouses.
There are also fewer chances of damaging products during storage or retrieval. The following are four technologies making a smart warehouse.
Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems
Storing and retrieving items in a warehouse is one of the most complicated things yet the most important. If products are not stored or retrieved efficiently, the overall production of the warehouse is negatively affected. Automated storage and retrieval systems make it easy and fast to perform these tasks.
These systems also make it less costly to perform retrieval and storage activities. In a large warehouse, it will require a huge workforce to complete them. Humans may not be fast enough and may get tired along the way. When automated storage and retrieval systems are implemented, they can work 24/7 without taking a break.
They will also not struggle to locate where a specific product is stored during retrieval. When storing items, they will intelligently identify where there is space to store the items. Therefore, automated storage and retrieval systems are key players in making warehouses smart.
Automatic Guided Vehicles
Automatic guided vehicles further enforce the automatic storage and retrieval process. Even if you know where to locate an item fast, you will still need the means to move it around the warehouse.
This is where automatic guided vehicles come to play. Once an item is located for retrieval or space is identified for storage, automatic guided vehicles can be used to perform the task of transporting it within the warehouse.
This makes it faster to retrieve and store a product than it would have been if the process was being done manually either by humans or by traditional means of transport.
Inventory Management Systems
Any warehouse needs to know the inventory they are holding at any given time. This will prevent running out of stock without their knowledge. If a warehouse runs out of stock and the management was not aware, they can still be selling items that are not available, and when customers come to collect them, they are disappointed.
However, an inventory management system makes it easy to track inventory levels in real-time. The system can use features such as inventory tags, re-order level notifications, among others, to keep control of stock levels in real-time.
When a warehouse has this system, it will also plan effectively with its suppliers on how to streamline the supply chain. There will be no instances where a supplier delivers items only to be told the products are already in stock. When a warehouse knows their inventory in real-time, they will be able to plan with the suppliers about restocking.
The system also makes it easy for warehouse owners to track the performance of their warehouse remotely. Since the system can be accessed online, the warehouse owners will be able to see the flow of the inventory even when they are no physically in the store.
Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT is becoming a crucial development in all industries. The warehouse is not left behind where it has immensely benefited from this technology. When IoT is implemented in the warehouse, it ensures the devices used around the warehouse are connected and can communicate effectively.
Whether the devices are automated or manual, they can be interconnected, which provides easy sharing of data among themselves. When all the aspects used in running a warehouse have a central source of data or they can communicate with each other, planning the warehouse activities is improved.
It becomes easy to optimize the inventory, labor organization, and other crucial elements of the warehouse. This ensures things run smoothly in the warehouse, and the result is that customers’ experience is enhanced.
If you are running a warehouse and have not implemented any of the above technologies, you miss out on great things. The technologies will make your warehouse efficient and safe, which will enhance productivity and customer experience.
However, these benefits can only be realized if the technologies are implemented by a professional. Therefore, if you want to get the best out of these technologies, hire a JD Edwards expert for advice and implementation.
