5 ways to a smarter running warehouse

The warehousing industry

has come a long way from the days of manual operation. The rise of technology and automation revolutionising the industry, and the pandemic is pushing it to evolve quicker than ever. As we reach mid-2022, automated and high-performing warehouses are a must, if only to meet the growing demands of the consumer, but what is supporting this growth?

As we’ve learned in recent blogs, smart design is a key factor in the changes we’re seeing. An industry that now heavily relies upon up-to-date technology, flexible systems and mobile workers. Each element plays a critical role in the ever-turning wheel of industry. 

Yet, what strategies and designs are making warehouses run faster than ever are being introduced as we enter the second half of this year? Five suggestions to consider are as follows:

1. Streamlined Financial Control

Not so much a technology itself; instead, it is the development of increased financial control and monitoring within warehousing and the supply chain. New providers have allowed better technology integration between companies, warehousing and carriers, resulting in faster and more accurate payments. All of which are providing financial wins across the chain and removing previous road bump

2. 3D printing

On the more innovative side of things, manufacturers and logistics companies are now working together to remove time delays. In one such instance, manufacturers can remove shipping delays due to small parts by sending the orders directly to 3D printers to be produced instantly by the distributor when needed. No more time delays with stock waiting for urgent parts. 

In the future, 3D printers across the board can create parts to order, so warehousing must prepare itself to embrace this incoming trend to stay ahead of the market. 

3. Real-time analytics and tracking

One of the best ways to improve the speed of trade throughout a warehouse is to know in real-time where everything is and where it is going. This has been the norm for quite some time. Still, as RFID chips continue to advance and produce increasingly valuable data, this will only continue to speed up operations within the warehouse.

This also extends beyond the warehouse, with customers being able to know not only when their item will arrive but where it is presently. It also supports vendor relationships by allowing them to access their product data instantly, making it easy to spot and solve problems efficiently. 

4. Vision Picking

Another innovative technology gaining traction in 2022 is the introduction of by-vision picking systems. These Augmented Reality (AR) based headsets have several advantages that the previous pick-by-label systems didn’t.

For example, by using visual systems, they only require a pair of smart glasses. These can also provide additional data points to be used for other functions, such as employee locations and assessing work, making them useful across the board. 

5. Moving past Wi-fi

For some time, warehouses and distribution centres have used WI-FI to run their operations. But as many undoubtedly have experienced, WI-FI can be unreliable. Those seconds waiting for connections to be made or the potential loss of data is no longer fit for this level of operations.

Companies need a new reliable resource and are turning to industrial-grade, private networks such as LTW, and 5G wireless networks. These are more suitable for supporting the high number of video feeds and sensors which automatic warehouses now rely upon greatly.

In Brief 

These are just some of the top technologies and processes enabling warehouses to run smarter in 2022. Logistics managers must review and determine which capabilities work the best in their customer’s supply chains. 

Reach out to Bray Solutions to see how we might support your 2022 business needs today.