In the past, warehouse workers, otherwise known as pickers, would worth with lists and manually run a warehouse. This took pickers a long time to get shipments in order just and this laborious practice soon became outdated when digital advanced, writes Suzanne Vallance, who works for Ferrari Packaging, a wholesale packaging supplies company based in Scotland.
IoE practices in warehouses
Warehouses have started to use the Internet of Everything (IoE), robotic systems which makes the working day much more effective. IoE and voice picking have improved the efficiency of warehouse practices. Sensors can now even detect everything through a robotic system and businesses can check where their pallets are, whether that is in the warehouse or en route to the shipping dock.
Progressively, businesses are adapting to IoE technology and are connecting the different departments in their organisation. These warehouses, like new technology that we use every day, are called “smart warehouses” and have increased productivity across the board.
IoT and cloud software for business
Cloud software is continuing to develop and change security perceptions. Steve Banker from Forbes Online has stated that there are benefits of using IoT in warehouses and has highlighted how pickers are management are adjusting to the change: “Most well run warehouses have a Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) that depends upon bar code data. Warehouse floor level operations personnel and warehouse managers execute their tasks based upon this data.”
This is true, figures from 2015 have shown the growth of IoT in business, especially in the use of cloud technology:
Cloud software is hosted elsewhere, virtually and businesses manage their accounts by accessing the software over the internet. Organisations will be charged a cloud fee, however, this includes hosting services.
What is a voice picking cloud?
The main method of internet picking is through a voice picking cloud solution. This means organisations can host their information remotely.
This is beneficial as it means your business does not have to obtain, install or maintain servers. This will not only improve staff efficiency in the long run but it will cut costs. In-house IT hardware can be problematic when it comes to continual security and maintenance.
Argos is just one of the UK’s multichannel retailers that have moved away from paper trail picking. This has been beneficial to the company as they claim it has boosted staff productivity and accuracy.
Getting it right the first time is now more important than ever as the fast delivery pressure from the “Amazon effect” is hitting the retail business. Thankfully for Argos, its level of accuracy is going up and accuracy error rates have decreased from just over 1% to less than 0.3%.
By adopting a voice picking system a business will become more consistent. The paper trail has become outdated, therefore it may be worth businesses looking into business improvement across the board, especially in the operational side of businesses.
Operational vs technical in the warehouse
Remember, improving the technological side of your business is vital, but maintaining the operations section of it, is just as important.
Adopting cloud technology will allow for reduced operational costs, but it’s good practice not to reply on the cloud alone to protect your goods. Amazon uses the cloud to help protect against theft, by using a system that updates every thirty minutes, however for the SME traditional methods for protecting your stored items should not be disregarded. Invest in suitable packaging supplies that will act as a secondary dimension of protection for your goods.
IoT warehouse operations
Changing your business ethic can be risky, therefore it always worth trialling different methods of IoT. By using the internet to enhance your workplace it will not only encourage your employees to work harder but they will learn new, digital skills. The beauty of the internet is that is growing and it is never too late to change, you could see the benefits of IoT in your warehouse works in a matter of months.
July 27, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
In 2015, market research firm Juniper Research declared Barcelona the smartest city in the world. As a result of the city’s support for local public transportation and electric vehicles, there are now 500 hybrid taxis on the streets of Barcelona, as well as nearly 300 public electric vehicles and an estimated 400 private electric cars. Barcelona has also implemented a programme that calls for the intelligent networking of energy and water supplies, recycling, lighting and mobility systems. The aim is to improve quality of life and protect the environment. (more…)
June 29, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Today, businesses around the world in industries as diverse as agriculture, healthcare, robotics, transportation, utilities and more are demonstrating that the Internet of Things (IoT) is more than just hype by putting connectivity at the heart of their business strategies, writes Sanjay Khatri, the head of global product marketing for IoT cloud at Cisco Jasper. (more…)
June 16, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Had Mark Twain been reporting on the rise of the Internet of Things, he might have commented wryly that ‘the reports of its growth have been greatly exaggerated’, writes Carsten BrinkSchulte, the chief executive of Core Network Dynamics. (more…)
June 7, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
For the first time in history, we are witnessing a massive disruption and the phenomenal adoption of getting everything connected and talking to each other, writes Subramanian Hariharan, a senior director at Mindtree. (more…)
June 1, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
The massive proliferation of threats and the shifting nature of risk were highlighted at the recent WeDo Technologies Worldwide User Group Summit 2016 in Lisbon, Portugal. Among the presentations and discussions at the event, Dr Patrick Dixon, a futurist and founder of Global Change Ltd., examined how threats will alter and why traditional approaches won’t work. George Malim reports from Lisbon. (more…)
May 18, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Adrian Crawley, the regional director of Northern EMEA for Radware, continues his blog on the challenges facing utilities providers as they embrace and integrate with IoT. (more…)
May 6, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
It doesn’t matter if you are a utility company in the UK, Europe or beyond, the issues you face daily in the boardroom are the same, writes Adrian Crawley, the regional director of Northern EMEA for Radware. How will you become more efficient, save money and give the customer more value and differentiate your brand? (more…)
May 4, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Event date: October 24-25, 2016
London, UK
The Tech Expo – Explore & Engage with Emerging Tech in Context
Now in its 2nd year, The Tech Expo Conference & Exhibition is designed to Explore, Educate and Engage our audience in the Contextual use of Emerging Technologies. Topics covered include Contextual Tech, Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality (Mixed Reality), IoT, FinTech, 3D Printing & Robotics (more…)
April 27, 2016
Posted by: IoT global network
As IoT becomes integral to engineering and heavy industry, Michael Segal, the director of marketing at Netscout, discusses the digital transformation experienced by companies in these sectors and how the CIO will lead the transformation and ensure business assurance. (more…)
Posted by: George Malim