Technologies in the Warehouse
There has been a lot of complex procedures involved in the warehouse operations since a long time now. This has witnessed a boost since 1945 and took to full swing after 1990. A graph of the past starting from the very beginning of this business to the current time would show the amount of growth this has acquired. It also opens windows to what the future might hold for the following years to come for this business. A thorough look at the timeline would elaborate these changes perfectly and would also help innovators to develop the current scene in a better manner.
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The following has been a part of the article formed by Rob O’Byrne who has illustrated about the different phases of the warehouse operations with regard to technology.
The Past, Present and Future of Warehouse:
Warehouse management systems, automation, barcode and RFID technologies, and voice guidance systems all combine to make warehouses more efficient, less impactful on the environment, and less reliant on manual labour. Of course if you’ve been involved in warehousing for some years, it’s easy to overlook the huge differences between warehouses of today and those of the late 20th century. Read more about it here.
The late 20th century has witnessed a lot of gradual developments in the warehouse operations. These appeared pretty subtle but played a vital role in increasing the efficiency of the warehouses. A chain of labour reducing technologies were introduced in the environment which lead to less labourers and managers in the warehouses to manually make the operations. Warehouse management systems have slowly turned to automation which means less labours. The lowering of the physical input into this segment makes sure that the warehouse technology has been in a steady pace. Irrespective of the booming growth there are a few tech inputs which became stereotypical in this business and most of the warehouses had to take up these technologies to cope up with the competitions. After this insight, the following article by Supply Chain 247 explains the warehouse technology needs.
5 ways to assess your warehouse technology needs:
Technology has become one of the most critical components of the third party logistics and warehousing industry. It goes without saying, therefore, that the hardware and software solutions used in today’s 3PLs must be kept as current as possible. Unfortunately, continually evaluating can be expensive, time-consuming and sometimes counter-productive. Read more about it here.
There are a lot of critical needs that warehouse operations may want to attend immediately. These can be assessed easily when five basic assessments are performed. The assessments talk about determining cost levels, business requirements, and examination of the total cost incurred for solutions, keeping a track of competitors and lastly, assessment of some long term goals for the warehouse business. The following article by Wong Yoke talks about the current technological use in a typical warehouse.
Current Technology in Use for a typical Warehouse:
Warehouse management principles have existed for as long as man has sold and shipped products. It really all boils down to knowing what you have, where it is, and how much can be sold. Inventory control principles and tools were developed in response to this need, such as checking perpetual inventory balances, and having inventory tracking cards. Read more here.
Warehouse operations has been developing at a relatively faster rate from the 90s. Ever since the introduction of warehouse management system has taken place, there a lot of other additions which make the use of technology more frequent in this industry. Currently there is voice commands, Barcode system, RP Picking, RP identification system, electronic data interchange and much more. These technologies can also be developed in the following years which opens up to more innovations in the warehouse management.
The future, which is by the year 2045 might give rise to robotic warehouses which would have close to zero labour cost. This would also shoot up the efficiency. There has been significant rise in the use of technology in the warehouses from the 90s and it has been rapidly growing ever since. From the 90s to the future that lies about two decades from the current time has been crystal clear due to the continuous need and the growth associated around it.