Andrew Whelan. Vice President Commercial Sector, Unisys, Asia Pacific. Contact him at
FUTUREPROOF YOUR WAREHOUSE
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As a sector that represents more than 35 per cent of global trade1, the Asia Pacific air cargo industry must embrace technology that will transform the heart of its operations; the warehouse. The last 15-20 years has seen little in the way of evolution inside the warehouse. As a central location for receiving, storing and distributing goods, the warehouse should be a productive, flexible and efficient place that optimises all business processes. In addition, it should provide a better return on the real estate.
To meet the growing demand for small parcel deliveries, warehouses will go from a storage location, to an intelligent, dynamic facility using IoT and voice Artificial Intelligence (voice AI). This technology will allow for the faster processing of more shipments and allow organisations to generate a higher return on their warehouse real-estate investment.
The Drones are Coming
However, the take up of innovative technologies such as analytics to improve visibility or mobile devices to empower employees to make smarter and faster decisions, has been slow.
From capturing live events (such as sports or concert aerial footage) through to the delivery of small packages, drones will soon be used within the confined space of the warehouse to tackle inventory control.
Many warehouses are still burdened by paper-heavy processes, manual inventory checks and legacy technology systems; all of which have an impact on the ability to process and monitor goods more efficiently.
What’s historically been a manual process, inventory checks will soon be conducted by drones; monitoring goods more often and more accurately within the warehouse.
The industry is in a period of significant growth. Increasing capacity supply on passenger flights and an uplift in business-to-consumer small parcel shipments, means that cargo operators can no longer afford to rely on manual operations. Disruptive technology, such as Internet of Things (IoT) and drones have taken a foothold in both the business and consumer world. The new technology presents air cargo organisations with an opportunity to revolutionise business processes and capitalise on new growth opportunities; to become efficient, nimble and proactive in an increasingly competitive market.
As a sector that represents more than 35 per cent of global trade, the Asia Pacific air cargo industry must embrace technology that will transform the heart of its operations; the warehouse.
A LOOK INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE OF THE FUTURE As the number of customer who expect on-demand services grows, their desire to access fast and efficient e-commerce shipments is only going to increase. To keep pace with consumer, and competitors, cargo operators must use intelligent technology to optimise warehouse efficiencies and deliver organisation-wide value.
Smart Warehouses = Smarter Business Decisions Just as connected wearable devices such as smartwatches have become mainstream in the consumer world, IoT-based technology will create the “smart warehouse” of the future. Innovations in screening technology is set to reach new levels. Smart glasses, which have been used to display information triggered by a barcode will now incorporate scanners which can automatically capture and input information into the warehouse system. 1
International Air Transport Association, Cargo Strategy, 2017
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The use of drones in the warehouse also goes beyond locating lost or misplaced items. Sensors will also be used to monitor environmental information such as light or temperature for perishable food, pharmaceuticals or livestock, and raise alerts to unusual noise or movement that may indicate animals are in distress.
Warehouses will go from a storage location, to an intelligent, dynamic facility using IoT and voice Artificial Intelligence (voice AI).
MAKE THE WAREHOUSE WORK FOR YOU Today’s warehouse is far more than just a facility to store goods. It’s a centralised hub which can be used to enhance productivity throughout the entire supply chain. In a world where speed and efficiency are at the heart of delivering an outstanding customer experience, cargo operators in Asia Pacific must embrace the role technology can play in transforming the warehouse into a key driver of business success, by:
• Operating in real-time: With a smart and connected warehouse, operators have more oversight into what’s going on inside the warehouse. This allows organisations to make better, faster decisions or improvements to optimise processes. • Minimising human error: In traditional warehouses, data entry mistakes can take hours or days to rectify, as workers hunt for lost or misplaced products. However, these situations can be easily avoided by using smart technology to identify, manage, monitor and pick goods. • Reducing process time: Take a step back and review how many processes it takes to get a job done. What was once 10 processes may now be five with the introduction of electronic tools and digital devices such as smartphones or smart glasses on the warehouse floor.
While smart warehouses and the use of drones are still in their infancy when it comes to their use in cargo, it’s only a matter of time before operations evolve and processes adapt to leverage the intelligent and advancing technology that can transform warehouses and, in turn, businesses. Unisys can help to develop the best approach to suit the warehouse and the business. For more information about futureproofing your warehouse, contact
[email protected]
Today’s warehouse is far more than just a facility to store goods. It’s a centralised hub which can be used to enhance productivity throughout the entire supply chain.
CONTRIBUTOR Andrew Whelan Vice President Commercial Sector, Unisys, Asia Pacific Contact him at
[email protected] or connect with him on LinkedIn
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