Technologies most in demand in warehouses of the future
The implementation of new technologies in the warehouses has increased by leaps and bounds. This is normal, since the relationship between the user and his way of consuming has changed a lot, as shown by the purchase on the Internet.
As in other sectors, we always have a futuristic image that may be far removed from reality, but what will it be like in the case of warehouses? ? How are the warehouses of the future going to be?
Yeah, there's already talk of endless, drone-managed shelf warehouses. As always, you think big when you have to take it one step at a time. And how does the immediate future of the warehouses look?
According to a study by Zebra on logistics and warehousing management, nearly 90% of companies are planning an expansion in the size of their warehouses over the next 5 years.
Similarly, 77% of IT managers surveyed for this study agree that they should increase the number of workers and incorporate new technologies. However, a high percentage do not know which technologies to implement.
Precisely for this reason, in this article we focus on the technologies that are being incorporated into the warehouses and that are aimed at improving productivity, focused above all on achieving improved order delivery times and process automation.
What technologies are in demand in a modern warehouse?
Now, let's look at different technologies needed for a modern warehouse.
1. Internet of Things
The pace at which products are released from the warehouse is becoming increasingly frenetic. Therefore, it is necessary that each of the products has a label where to incorporate real time information of the product, such as if it suffers some damage or expiration date.
In this sense, the Internet of Things is a very useful technology to understand the state of the warehouse and the products that make it up, in real time.
2. Robotics
Little by little, the use of robots is helping to improve the output of products from a warehouse. As we discussed, we're not talking about drones or anything like that. Most warehouse robots are stationary and perform simple tasks at high speed, such as picking up items from a storage container and dropping them off at the shipping container.
In the most revolutionary cases, there are mobile robots that are responsible for collecting parts and going to a certain location.
3. Software
If the Internet of Things is designed to obtain information in real time about the product itself, the software tools implemented allow us to improve the management of the goods and, therefore, of the warehouse.
The software allows for better planning, helping to improve processes such as the reception of goods or stock management or order confirmation. A good example of this type of tool is Tamesis, a warehouse management WMS that we provide from Alerce-Group. Contact us!
As you can see, we are still far from this futuristic vision, but little by little certain technologies are being consolidated that will help us have a much more effective warehouse.