Smart warehouses are set to transform the commercial space in India.As quick commerce takes off, the new-age customers, B2B and B2C, realize a fast turnaround time is critical. Logistics companies that are unable to meet these expectations may struggle to stay relevant.
As a result of these changes, the warehousing industry is witnessing the emergence of newer trends and ways for warehouses to operate, including processes like storage, picking, packaging, and shipping.
Here are some smart trends and technology upgrades that are fueling the forward march of the warehousing industry.
Robots and automation
Robots and cobots (collaborative robots) are now playing key roles in smart warehouses. From sorting and packaging to batching and transportation, they offer an enhanced range of services. Global giants like Amazon and DHL have successfully implemented robot-driven warehouses in India too. Apart from increasing the picking speed, robots don’t need breaks and if one malfunctions, it can be replaced without slowing down operations.
Another technology feature that is making the warehouse smarter is wearable technology. Smart technology tools like wearable computers with sensors, smart glasses, and voice headsets operating on voice commands have made it easier for workers to pick the required products without the need to scan labels.
Vertical storage capabilities
More business means the need for more space. But the warehouses located in cities and metros come with high real estate costs. One smart way that is making better ergonomic sense as well is vertical storage. With the help of racks and vertical carousels, smart warehouses are solving this problem.
Maximizing energy usage
With rising energy costs, warehouses have started incorporating newer ideas and technologies to optimize energy use. Smart sustainable solutions like skylights to utilize natural light and roof-top solar panels not only help optimize energy use but also make operations more efficient.
The Internet of Things
The IoT isn’t just the latest trend in smart warehousing. It is a key technology concept that is driving the current warehouse automation trends. Warehouses now are leveraging tools like video analytics to monitor the behavior and flow of workers and machinery within the warehouses. Apart from implementing safety measures in the warehouse, it can be used to measure the flow of people in certain areas of the warehouse at certain times and help in smoothening out processes.
Changing roles
From a place for storing, warehousingis now being seen as a profit center that has the potential of making the company profitable.
Reduced inventories and increased profits
By tracking inventories in real-time, smart warehousing helps business owners to avoid overstocking products and tracking costs will also become easy. This ensures reduced inventory costs. This will lead to a significant increase in the company’s profits across the stream which includes wholesalers, retailers, distributors, and eCommerce websites.
A big boost to order tracking
Another big benefit of smart warehousing is enhanced order tracking. It enables business owners to pass single-speed instructions to multiple recipients. Thereby allowing warehouse managers complete control over customer information, orders, and inventory. It also results in faster order delivery to the customers.
AI and enhanced labor efficiency
Smart warehousing is the upgraded version of traditional warehousing. While manual work plays a big part in traditional warehousing, which includes tasks like ordering, assigning serial numbers, and checking in and out of the warehouse physically. But these actions are automated in smart warehouses.
AI helps to predict the sales volume and notify the team on the fly if it detects that the stocks are running out. It leads to an increase in productivity, which means an increase in labor efficiency.