Print in the Channel - issue #6

WAREHOUSING CHALLENGES

Top 10 essentials for meeting today’s warehouse challenges Warehouses face many challenges to keep up with changing industry expectations, and using new technologies can help with this – which resellers need to be aware of when selling to companies that use warehouses, as GSM Barcoding explain.

Today’s warehouses face multiple challenges to meet supply chain market trends and continuous technological advancements. The biggest strategic challenge is meeting customer expectations for faster fulfilment and returns without sacrificing accuracy. Achieving more with less due to labour shortages, rising costs of transportation and fulfilment, e-commerce small item picking and increasing demand for sustainable practices is enough to keep any warehouse manager busy. GSM Barcoding is an expert in helping small to medium-sized warehouses to implement cost-effective and efficient resolutions to improve warehouses, and Zebra technologies can provide the right solutions. Here, GSM present 10 tips for resellers to be aware of when talking to companies involved in this sector: 1. Migrate from legacy systems to Android Many smaller and well-established warehouses will still use redundant non-supported systems that have worked for many years. While the saying ‘don’t fix what’s not broken’ may seem like a sensible reason not to upgrade equipment, it could leave a network and operations vulnerable and slow down operational processes and communications. Upgrading to Android devices improves efficiency, reduces human error and speeds up business operations with industrial mobile computers that seamlessly integrate into the systems used in the warehouse. 2. Maximise wireless with a WLAN site survey Is your customer’s wireless network optimised for efficiency and speed? A professional wireless network site survey offers an in- depth evaluation of a warehouse space to

provide the most reliable layout of access points and mitigate any interference in the WLAN network through the facility. This allows resellers to address any dead zones affecting the equipment’s capabilities. Faster internet connections will help make more efficient operations throughout. 3. Review the WMS When was the last time the customer sat and addressed the warehouse management system (WMS)? To take a warehouse to the next level it requires the replacement of systems that are no longer fit for purpose. Upgrading older, less reliable equipment will allow operations to handle greater expectations. WMS systems technology has advanced considerably over the past few years. They offer web-based and cloud technology allowing wireless mobile scanning and picking. Integration tools such as APIs enable easier data transfer and integration, facilitating yard and co-bot management and easier integration to control systems through

To take a warehouse to the next level it requires the replacement of systems that are no longer fit for purpose. “ ”

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