Efficient warehouse management can be one of the most critical parts of your business operation. Time lost on delivery storage and order retrieval can have a daily and weekly impact on your bottom line. New technologies allow business owners to implement the most efficient use of both facilities and personnel.
Bar Coding Technology
Bar coding has become a familiar system for many businesses. Those “bars” that you see on the bottom of products not only help to maintain an efficient inventory system; they also help to contain loss and reduce man-hours in warehouse facilities. These bar codes can be read by laser scanners and translated directly into software programs. The new charged coupling devices, or CCDs, operate by taking a picture of the bar code and translating into the program. These systems are constantly being updated for greater accuracy and functionality.
Radio Frequency Devices
New uses for radio frequency have allowed warehouse operations to track and manage warehouse items in more efficient ways. Radio frequency identification, or RFID, uses radio signals to transmit data that is contained on tags placed on items. These tags can contain large amounts of information about the item, which is then transmitted to a computer system. One of the benefits of the RFID system is that it can be customized to provide information that cannot be altered. This feature provides greater consistency of information for more efficient warehouse management.
State-of-the-Art Materials Handling Equipment
In the end, the success of your warehouse operation rests on how well the physical systems function during daily tasks. State-of-the-art materials handling equipment can help to improve the times on retrieval, re-configuration of warehouse storage and placement of new deliveries. Highly efficient lift trucks, dock levelers and trailering equipment from companies like Arpac Storage Systems Corp and others can help your warehouse operations to move faster and more smoothly.
Voice Technology
From its early days as an inaccurate attempt to convert normal human speech into textual and numerical information, voice technology has taken many leaps into a human-friendly way to use natural speech for business operations. Systems can now compile data from software and convert it into oral instructions that feed to workers via headsets. Workers can, in turn, notify the system via microphones that tasks have been completed. These systems have helped to facilitate order selection, putaway tasks, inventory counts and parts inspection. The result is increased worker productivity and a reduction in errors.
Updating your warehouse operations to include these new technologies can have a significant impact on your supply and payroll figures. Consider how these systems can help to facilitate daily operations for your business.