In 2022, Supply Chain, inventory management, and warehouse operations have evolved so much! And the traditional practices have completely changed. As we are moving towards technological advancements, operations are now more automated than ever. Inventories are updated through computerized systems, and now robots do the lifting of cargo in almost every renowned warehouse. These advancements add great value to the company and there’s no denying that it enhances customer satisfaction as warehouse automation procedures are much more precise and quicker than ever. But it leaves us with the question; What will happen to the warehouse workers?
Understandably, the labor community has a lot of concerns over the automation of industries because that reduces the number of employees. But on the other hand, it releases the burden of manpower required to perform heavy lifting tasks and leaves only the technical and complicated tasks for employees. Technical tasks require a skilled person and a skilled person has a higher need compared to labor. So instead of opposing the technological advancements, the labor community can look at it as an opportunity to learn skills and increase their pay scale.
WHY IS WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION IMPORTANT?
We all are humans, and humans aren’t perfect. We all tend to make mistakes and that’s what provides us a learning opportunity. The same goes for all the tasks we perform, we enhance our efficiency and preciseness, but every business has ups and down because of mismanagement or errors, and in business, you’ve to pay for each mistake and there’s no margin for error. There are several parts of the supply chain such as manufacturing, production, shipping, etc. and each fragment is significant. That’s why increasing efficiency and delicacy is integral, and automation provides just that!
No matter what business you’re involved in, it’s impossible to think of an employer that has never made a mistake. From creating an incorrect product to misunderstanding the customer’s order, or other logistical issues. All the mishaps and mistakes seem small and negligible, but if we add it all up, it makes a huge difference annually and affects the business. Since the supply chain operations are getting faster than ever, they’re also getting more and more complex; that means, the operations are more intricate and the probability of mess-ups is more than ever before. Especially with real-time delivery, the margin of error is thinner than ever, so to overcome that problem; companies are now gravitating towards computerized, automated, and AI-built warehouse equipment.
ADVANTAGES OF WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION
There are multiple advantages of warehouse automation, we’re going to discuss some of them below;
NO HUMAN ERROR
Automated systems have less probability of making errors, along with that it is easier to trace errors in a computerized and automated system rather than detecting them in a human supply chain.
PREVENT PRODUCT DAMAGE, AND AUTO-CORRECTION
Some Automated and AI systems have the capability to detect and correct errors by themselves which saves a lot of time and with time it also prevents the loss of product. For instance, if there’s something wrong with the production line or inventory, the system stops functioning until it corrects itself which is quite remarkable.
FASTER THAN EVER!
In this era, where life is moving so fast, no one has time or patience for delays. Everyone wants to receive their orders, as fast as they can. Real-time delivery has made it difficult for companies to keep up with the market, but through automated systems, you can achieve quickness with high accuracy which means your customer satisfaction will be through the roof!
SAFER ENVIRONMENT
It is dangerous to work in places such as warehouses, with hundreds of thousands of containers, and goods around you, there’s always a possibility of mishandling which could have devastating consequences for the workers. Automated systems remove those risks completely.
ACCURATE INVENTORY
Automated warehouses utilize inventory management tools that keep a perfect record of all the orders, that are in line, ready to ship, or delivered. Inventory is quite difficult to maintain for any warehouse but automation has made it so easy and errorless that it increases the downtime and makes the customers happier with the system.
CONCLUSION
Automation in warehouses has surely enhanced efficiency and improved the supply chain. Tasks such as Inventory update, order management, production, and complex deliveries have now become quite easy with automation. However, it does raise the question regarding the future of warehouse workers and labor, but with operations moving faster than ever, that means more production and more business, and more opportunities for technical workers. Hence, the future is in learning automation and advanced computer skillsets.
