Innovation and Design are essential in any industry. If companies aren’t keeping up with the latest changes, how do they expect to compete? Especially as it pertains to new technologies and methodologies for completing tasks, which are efficient and reduce costs?
The same goes for Design. If there’s a manner of designing a warehouse, which makes it more efficient, more sustainable, and easier to work in, why wouldn’t an organization make those changes? So, how exactly are innovation and Design reshaping the warehouse management systems and functions moving ahead?
Improved Design = Improved Productivity
Something as simple as placing two parts, which are necessary to construct a piece of furniture next to each other in a warehouse setting, is instantly making the space more efficient.
Running the risk of not having enough storage space is one of the most significant threats posed to warehouses; when this happens, they need to move stock outside or move.
There are alternatives. For example, pallets can help increase usable storage space. Drones allow warehouses to stack items in previously unused areas because employees couldn’t reach a city.
Vertical racks and shelving allow for a more streamlined organization. By improving Design, and by introducing new technologies (in order to reach the inventory in certain areas), warehouses now have far more usable space than they did in the past.
It helps eliminate waste, improve the overall layout of the warehouse, and maximize operations, without having to worry about expanding to ample and costlier space.
Sustainability In Reducing Costs
Many warehouses are also becoming more sustainable. LED lights help reduce energy consumption; skylights help provide illumination while reducing the need to use more electricity, and automation can take place overnight, to help cut on individual operational costs.
With bots and other automation software, companies can take inventory at night, when the warehouse is closed. Or, they can complete tasks without power/energy, which would be used during the day.
Improving sustainability and reducing costs not only helps warehouses maximize their earnings, but also creates a better workspace for employees during the day.
Transportation Routes And Logistics
Innovation and Design also play a role in logistics and transportation. For example, a warehouse might choose to set up their delivery trucks, next to the busiest shipping warehouse they operate.
This will not only make transport times shorter, it is going to help eliminate costs in fuel and waste, and it will also ensure customers are going to receive their orders more quickly this way.
Many warehouses also use drones or delivery robots to help automate processes.
Using GPS and other tracking systems, help warehouses best determine the right transportation routes.
With real-time CRM software and other equipment, warehouses can also use the information to determine what the best logistics routes are, what the safest ways are, and how to get items from the warehouses, onto the trucks, as safely and as quickly as possible, while preventing damage, loss, theft, or other issues, which were commonly taking place in the past.
Smarter Warehouses
Building a more intelligent warehouse, with smarter technologies and more sustainable supplies/equipment, is a smart move for organizations to employ, especially in today’s competitive delivery and e-commerce industry.
Warehouses that adapt and adopt to these models are more likely to see the returns they want to see. And, those who utilize innovation and Design, to help them reshape the manner in which they operate are going to see the most efficient operations while reducing cost and eliminating waste.
There are many positive ways in which warehouses can affect change and improve their operations. These are a few of the many ways in which to integrate proper Design, layout, innovation, and real-time technologies, to help improve the overall operability for warehouse managers and teams working within the warehouse.
JD Edwards Managed Services can help your warehouse improve innovation and Design, to improve the manner in which your warehouse operates.
From changing to more sustainable design ideas to determining the proper logistics or location for a future warehouse you plan on constructing, our team is here to help improve the manner in which your organization operates. Contact us today to learn about our managed services, and how we can revolutionize the way in which your warehouse and operations are performing.
Author Bio
Chris is a freelance copywriter in Orlando, FL. He works with companies around the world and enjoys writing about technology and business processes.
