If you’re a supply chain leader, you’ve probably found that unprecedented demands for your product, labour shortages (the right fit labour), geo-political chaos (Ukraine war), and natural disasters (Covid … or is that unnatural?) are disrupting your industry.
The VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world we live in has driven more companies to embrace software, automation, robotics and the like across their supply chains.
All supply chain operations aim to make things easier and improve productivity, performance and profits. But, to do this, companies must focus on the most important thing: keeping customers happy, which is where smart warehouses come into their own.
Simply put, it is a warehouse designed to work at peak efficiency. It deploys several production-enhancing systems and tools such as warehouse management software, IoT-related devices, process and business improvements, and technologies like automation and robots.
A smart warehouse speaks to agility, scalability, visibility, and connectivity.
We’ve listed some of the tools below that drive agility, scalability, visibility and connectivity in smart warehouses.
A warehouse management system is a fulcrum that drives the entire smart warehouse. It plans and executes the warehouse’s workload, collecting relevant data and providing real-time visibility whilst driving operational improvements.
Automation
Some tasks lend themselves to being automated rather than handled by people, allowing the organisation to deploy people where they can be even more helpful.
The arena of robotics within logistics is mind-boggling, with so many options from which to choose. Robotic solutions come in many forms, including pick and place, autonomous mobile robots, automated guided vehicles, and drones, to name a few.
In today’s world, “big data” is a massive driving force to achieve better results. IoT helps facilitate this through a network of connected devices communicating with data centres and systems in the cloud and between the devices themselves.
AI and ML are vital for a smart warehouse to sing. These turn real-time information, historical data and other relevant information into actionable advice to drive more intelligent decision-making and leaner processes.
A WCS is a software program that serves as a bridge between the WMS and material equipment. It’s like a traffic controller, directing and coordinating equipment used to handle products/goods in the warehouse. Successful smart warehouses get their WMS and WCS to work seamlessly.
In the Final Analysis
If your organisation wants to stay competitive, there’s no doubt that smart warehousing is the way to go. However, creating a smart warehouse is not simple and will fail if it doesn’t start with a solid foundation. This is where a warehouse/supply chain integrator like Apex shines. We help you do it right the first time so that there are no costly surprises downstream.
Reach out to us for a consultation, and let’s see how we can help you develop a smart warehouse management system that helps your organisation become more productive and profitable.
