5 Ways Robots & AI Are Driving The Future of Warehouse Management

Technology doesn”t stop moving. Today we see new items we never dreamt of, even as recently as a few years ago. And, these technologies and developments aren”t going to stop into the future.

So, what can robots and AI do for your warehouse management team? How will these technologies drive the way your organization operates in 2020 and beyond? These are a few ways robots and Ai are going to improve warehouse management functions continually.

Drones

Drones are here, and they”re highly used in many industries. In the warehouse and logistics industries, they”re highly beneficial. Drones can easily

• Pick items up off high shelves
• Track where things are in a warehouse setting
• Collect, pick, and drop items into the right location
• Provide delivery services directly to customers

Drones are high-tech devices, and they can be equipped with RFID, GPS, and other tracking mechanisms. So, managers always know where they are, what they”re doing, and how they”re maximizing efficiency in the warehouse.

Image Source: Pixabay

Warehouse Robots

AVG, or automated robots, are used on warehouse floors for multiple purposes. Inventory tracking, monitoring employee engagement, move stock, replace low inventory, and so forth.

These robots are capable of reaching higher heights than humans, moving items faster, lifting heavier weight, and tracking areas where stock is low, much quicker than their human counterparts.

What this means is that they”re going to maximize efficiency and workflow, working alongside their human counterparts.

Updated CRM

Software is critical for any warehouse today. And, real-time software and CRM systems are utilized in many warehouses, to help managers keep track of things. A primary benefit of these real-time programs is that they allow managers to cross-communicate with other departments.

In the event supply is needed immediately, they can reach a logistics manager, and have it delivered. Or, if there are issues with quality and control, an inventory manager can input this information, and the quality and control unit will instantaneously receive these updates.

Data doesn”t get lost in its tracks, and information is readily available, for all management personnel to see, maximizing the efficiency of the warehouse, and the organization”s operations in general as well.

Goods to Person Robots delivery and inventory

Sounds simple enough, right? And they are. Products to person robots are robots, which will deliver goods directly to the customer who places the order.

They”re equipped with sensors and machine learning capabilities, so they can learn tasks, and better manage delivery routes. Many tech companies are also employing the use of climbing robots. As the name implies, they rise shelves and can reach inventory, for better tracking purposes.

Regardless of how they”re utilized, these machines are faster, stronger, and work to continually learn what”s taking place within the warehouse operations, to streamline better how things are done.

By working in narrow aisles, these robots can also help improve the efficiency of workflow in a warehouse setting, by reducing wasted space.

Although they”re not going to replace humans entirely, they”re going to help improve upon the speed at which work and deliveries are made and enhance the process of inventory tracking and monitoring within warehouse settings over time.

Driverless Forklifts in use

If a forklift can operate itself, this frees up the human to perform specialized tasks that they weren”t playing for the organization in the past.

These machines are capable of seamlessly moving through warehouses, they can drive to the next location, they can pick up pallets, and they can deposit inventory where it has to go.

The benefit of these forklifts is that they do not require any human assistance in order to complete these tasks. And, these machines are getting smarter with more production and research going into designing them.

By freeing up humans to perform specialized tasks, these driverless forklifts are a great addition to any organization which wants to compete in 2020 and wants to maximize their operation”s capacity while eliminating redundancy and waste within the organization”s warehouse settings.

Let our JD Edwards Managed Services consultants help take your warehouse and management operations into the future! We can help deploy a plan, implement new technologies, and guide your organization in the best approaches to automate, reduce waste, eliminate high costs, and better manage overall warehouse procedures and processes within your organization.

Author Bio: Chris is the co-founder of StrategyBeam, a marketing agency that offers Orlando SEO services. He loves working with companies from around the world and writes about technology and business practices.