The warehouse of the future is not just a dream anymore, but a real possibility. With advances in warehousing and manufacturing, as well as in technology, it is crucial that business owners are aware of what they can do to streamline their processes, improve their operations, and overall, improve productivity.
How to Create the Future Warehouse?
Here at GSM Barcoding, we understand the importance of providing innovative warehousing and manufacturing technologies, which is why we are a Zebra technologies solutions partner. Zebra partnered with a third-party research company to create a report that contains data from more than 1,000 IT and operations personnel; the aim of this report is to showcase the way warehousing is anticipated to evolve by 2020.
Such research is vital for business owners and managers so that you know what makes up a smart warehouse. Amongst others, some of the most important warehouse solutions and technologies that are likely to be a crucial element of warehousing and manufacturing by 2020 are:
Internet of Things
Connectivity is the future. Being able to obtain a large variety of data in real-time is invaluable, which is why the Internet of Things, a wave of connected devices, can make all the difference. The entire supply chain will be much more transparent, for example, and productivity is expected to increase too.
And it’s easy to see why, especially because you can track a product throughout the supply, immediately know whether there have been any errors during manufacturing, and communicate with other workers and machines in real time (and across the supply chain). The use of the Internet of Things is expected to rise by 58% by 2020.
Automation
Load and truck automation will also grow over the next few years, with a rise of 4% in load optimisation growth. Mobile and data capture load optimisation technology solutions can improve efficiency when packing, loading and shipping, for instance, and you’ll get real-time analytics that will allow you to adjust the way you work to increase productivity and reduce costs.
Picking
Order picking and fulfilment consumes 70% of a warehouse’s operational costs. The smart warehouse of the future will be able to cut down training from 53.6 hours to 37.2 by changing from voice-only directed picking to voice and screen directed picking. This, in turn, will automate and speed up an employee’s workflow and reduce picking time and costs – the result is, of course, increased profits.
Barcode Scanning
Part of the warehouse systems of the future will be barcoding technology. According to the Zebra report, this is one of the top ten technology investments that will be crucial in the warehouse of the future. Executives are planning to expand the use of barcode labels by 63% over the next five years, which is a measure that intends to improve efficiency, automation, speed when handling inbound and outbound inventory, and stricter supplier requirements.
To learn more about this and the technologies that can help you stand apart from the competition, increase your productivity and improve your warehousing, download the full, free report below:
