As technology continues to take charge of several business operations to optimize them, warehousing and distribution within the supply chain management have also witnessed the power of technology in the last few decades. From IoT to AI, technology is taking over the arduous job of keeping track of stored products, budgeting, goods storing, and more warehousing and distribution tasks. This article explores the top 5 groundbreaking technologies that are revolutionizing supply chain management activities to a great extent.
Warehousing
Kenneth B. Ackerman, in his book Practical Handbook of Warehousing, describes warehousing “as a useful reservoir for mass production.” During the Industrial Era, warehousing was conceptualized and implemented as a process of storing goods for sale, as sellers had no idea how many products they’d need for selling.
When the Just-in-Time approach was unknown, marketing philosophy ensured that no sale was lost due to a lack of inventory. Warehouses were built to perform tasks of receiving products, storing, inventory management, order preparation, and others. Over time, these warehousing practices evolved to change the way warehousing is done. Technologies have automated most warehousing tasks, such as inventory management, order fulfillment, quality assurance, etc.
Distribution
Distribution in supply chain management is the process of taking stored products from the suppliers to the customers. Distribution plays a crucial role in influencing customer experience as well as supply chain costs. With the management of goods’ movement, distribution ensures effective delivery of products across the supply chain. It focuses on the timely delivery of goods, ensuring goods are delivered in good condition, transporting, and fleet management.
5 Groundbreaking Technologies Transforming Warehousing and Distribution
1) Automated Picking Tools
Automation technology has revolutionized business operations by unloading the human burden of manual tasks. It also made its way to the supply chain management domain by automating warehousing and distribution tools. Automated Picking tools are now widely used in the tasks of warehousing and distribution. These tools use robotic and semi-robotic technologies to reduce the burden of human pickers in SCM.
By integrating these tools into the existing warehousing processes, product picking can be streamlined. From retail to manufacturing, these automated solutions provide multiple benefits across industries. Automated picking tools are designed to support picking and packing, shortening picking routes, reducing human errors, and offering effective picking rates.
2) Robotics
Robotics technology encompasses various solutions like robotic arms, automated picking tools, automated guided vehicles, and others. These technologies streamline warehousing and distribution tasks, reduce errors, and accelerate order delivery. Robotics reduces labor costs for supply chain managers while handling warehouses.
3) Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT creates a network of interconnected sensors and devices to streamline warehouse operations. This smart warehousing technology collects and shares data to foster automation. From warehouse management to wearable devices, this technology ensures seamless data flow between systems.
4) Artificial Intelligence
AI works to analyze the data gathered across devices. This analysis assists in predicting industry trends, effective management of resources, and optimization of picking routes.
5) Advanced Inventory Management System (AIMS)
Advanced Inventory Management System enables efficient tracking of inventory, management of logistics, and processing orders. AIMS uses AI-driven analytics and user-friendly platforms to perform warehouse and distribution tasks. AIMS operations also span areas of real-time visibility, workflow automation, storage optimization, and enhanced warehouse operations.
Warehousing and distribution are two crucial aspects of supply chain management that ensure high-quality products are delivered on time to retailers or customers. Technologies have amplified these multifaceted operations of the warehouse and distribution management to reach optimum results.