Benefits Of Warehouse Management Automation

Efficient warehouse management is becoming increasingly important. The pressures of ever more complicated supply chain logistics and factors such as customer demand require any warehouse to evolve in order to remain competitive and commercially successful. Keeping up with expanding inventory and responding the challenges of picking requires additional versatility and performance – something that technology, such as Warehouse Management Automation, can provide.

Why invest in Warehouse Management Automation?

To increase productivity. There are three key ways in which Warehouse Management Automation can have a positive impact on productivity:

• Streamlining warehouse processes so as to reduce picking time and optimise existing systems, for example by taking advantage of opportunities for cross docking.
• More transparency, including increased worker accountability.
• Optimising picking and minimising travel paths, as well as reducing the need for non-value adding activities.

Boosting the number of completed orders delivered on time. If shipping delays and backorders are becoming a serious problem, Warehouse Management Automation presents a positive solution. This type of technology enables reduced cycle times and improved fill rates, as well as a general efficiency boost that will ensure more on-time shipments.

Making good use of existing space. Optimising the space available is difficult to do if you don’t invest in Warehouse Management Automation. These systems are specifically created to help intelligently maximise the use of expensive – and valuable – warehouse space. Features such as cross-docking and automatic consolidation are designed to ensure that existing space is used as efficiently as possible.

Real time inventory accuracy. A Warehouse Management Automation solution can deliver up to 99% inventory accuracy, which can be invaluable to improving operational efficiency. Not only does this ensure that overloading doesn’t take place within the warehouse but it also means that time is not wasted by workers who are looking for missing inventory that is difficult to find. Plus, features such as real-time information confirmation and verification can provide instant feedback on work accuracy.

Avoiding spoilage issues. With better transparency and organisation, Warehouse Management Automation helps to enforce rotation on a first in, first out basis, which is essential for reducing spoilage. Real time monitoring of inventory also contributes to minimising problems with spoiling, while any shrinkage issues can be quickly identified thanks to the increased level of worker accountability.

Going beyond customer expectations. The end result of the work that Warehouse Management Automation does behind the scenes is that it’s possible to exceed the expectations that customers have of the service that your business is able to provide. From the improvements that can be made to the way that inventory is handled and the number of on-time shipments delivered, to the opportunities to reduce cycle times, introducing Warehouse Management Automation delivers an overall upgrade in operations that customers will really notice and appreciate.

For any warehouse today, efficient operations that maximise opportunities for accuracy are essential. Technology, such as Warehouse Management Automation offers a way to achieve a significant improvement as a result of the benefits described above – which will be felt right across the organisation.