Globalization, androidization and digitization has really made the customers- The King, as todays educate customers expect best quality at fair price on time. The biggest challenge in front of the industries like FMCG, Food & Beverages, and Pharmaceutical is to satisfy the mammoth customer base and achieve JIT (Just in Time) delivery. Hence these industries have realized the importance of using latest technologies to achieve JIT & lean supply chain. Warehouse will be evolved over the next five years, but to stay competitive, industries are ready to invest in warehouse management system, to keep it running nimble at low operational cost while increase responsive to customers.
Here in this article we are trying to highlight latest technology trends comes with modern warehouse management software to build smarter warehouse.
Barcode Scanning
Barcode scanning is an incredibly important tool for warehouses to maintain efficiencies and automation but is something that is still being underutilized today. With a barcode data collection solution, capturing data is faster and more accurate, costs are lower, mistakes are minimized, and managing inventory is much easier and better decision making. Barcodes let you track the what, who and when for all warehouse activities within the four walls.
Tablet Computers
Many warehouses are still using desktop computers to track inventory and the operations throughout the supply chain process; even more shockingly some are still tracking inventory with pen and paper. Over the next five years there will be an increase in the use of tablet computers within the warehouse that will offer real-time access to warehouse management systems.
Big Data & Analytics
With the growing popularity of e-commerce and the shift towards more mobile technologies will produce explosion of huge data. Warehouses must look ahead now and understand that an investment in big data and analytics will be an essential component to remain competitive in this growing industry.
Dock Door Scheduling Software
One common bottleneck that occurs at a busy warehouse is at the dock door. The process of assigning doors for trucks to load or unload goods can be time consuming. Many truckers wait longer in the truck yard for a dock to open than the time it takes to get their truck unloaded or loaded and their paperwork completed.Using dock door scheduling software is a perfect way to streamline the inbound and outbound operations to make warehouse operations more efficient. Effective dock scheduling can help reduce the cost of moving goods.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things will continue trending its way through many industries over the next five years, including warehousing. Specific to warehouses, IoT will bring about a heightened level of visibility to all areas of the supply chain, adding a new level of precision to inventory tracking, and increased productivity.
Smart warehouse management system improve distribution center efficiency, labor productivity, visibility, accuracy customer service, decrease distribution costs, and monitor inventory levels.