Rock Your Warehouse!
Last month I launched a new podcast series called “Does Logistics Matter?”, about trends an innovations in supply chain and logistics. In the first episode, I talk with Pieter van den Broecke of Manhattan Associates on innovations in warehousing and the role a warehouse management system plays in that.
There are three innovations I would like to highlight from my conversation with Peter.
Pulling Instead of Pushing Orders
Traditionally orders are planned in waves or batches and these are pushed into the warehouse where teams start picking them. This creates moments of peak volumes that then move through the warehouse from picking zone to packing zone.
If you have an omni-channel warehouse where you have shipments to stores and e-fulfillment for example, there can be ad hoc orders for small quantities disrupting the picking of the larger quantities for stores.
A warehouse management system with mathematical optimization and machine learning capabilities can constantly change and adapt the flow.
Hear more about this from Pieter in the podcast.
Managing the Increasing Number of Robots
This year alone there are more than 270,000 new robots working in logistics environments. These robots (and co-bots) may come from different suppliers and have different capabilities and capacity. Combine that with all the people moving through the warehouse and you \have a complex puzzle to solve if you want to efficiently use all those resources.
A Warehouse Execution System can manage all these robots and make sure they now where to be, what to do, and where to go. If you integrate those capabilities into a Warehouse Management System you get a powerful tool that will increase the efficiency of your operation.
Hear more about this from Pieter in the podcast.
Gamification in the Warehouse
Logistics companies are struggling to find good people, and once they have them it can be difficult to retain them. One way of making sure your people stay is to make sure they are engaged. Engaged and happy employees have no reason to leave. On the contrary. The happier and more engaged they are, the more they will talk to others about how great their job is. Now they will want to work there as well. Now you are not only retaining your people, but you are attracting new people.
A great way to increase both employee engagements and efficiency in your warehouse is to use gamification.
Hear more about how this works from Pieter in the podcast.
Does Logistics Matter?
The podcast is available on all the major podcast platforms. Just click one of the buttons below and start listening.
Photo by Photos Hobby on Unsplash
SPONSORED CONTENT DISCLAIMER
This post is sponsored by Manhattan Associates
