As global supply chain bottlenecks persist, optimizing the controllables has never mattered more. Here are five process improvements warehouses are prioritizing to bolster their logistics.
Warehousing and logistics companies have felt the stress of global supply chain breakdowns firsthand. Although inventory backups have improved since this same time last year, it still is not uncommon for items to take up to six weeks to arrive after an order. Yet just when these companies couldn’t imagine any more delays, new COVID variants, emerging global events, and subsequent international sanctions now stand to create fresh supply chain pain points.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Making simple, impactful investments in IT improvements across your warehouse and logistics frameworks can help reduce the strain of supply chain bottlenecks both now and in the future.
5 Ways to Improve Warehouse Processes and Logistics
Given the uncertainty in today’s current business climate, it’s important to double down on what you can control. Even if your hands feel tied as a result of larger external forces, it shouldn’t hinder the efficacy of your warehousing logistics. Improving your processes today will only help you weather industry shocks in the future. Warehouses and logistics companies should consider the following 5 tips to optimize performance in the current climate:
- Wearables and IoT solutions — The emergence – and ongoing evolution – of IoT-driven solutions continues to transform supply chains and the logistics landscape. Wearables, in particular, are devices that are proven to enhance operational efficiency, bolster organizational security, and help you adapt to more complex network challenges. By connecting machines to IoT sensors, machine workloads, inputs, and outputs can be more precisely tracked across your facility. IoT also effectively monitors machine wear-and-tear more closely, allowing maintenance to be proactive and predictive rather than reactive.
- Wired Networks Improvements — Improving your wired networks is another easy source of performance gains. The objective here is to make sure your warehouse can support additional wireless devices – ensuring smooth, uninterrupted network connectivity on all wireless devices throughout your warehouse. Put differently, your warehouse is falling behind if you don’t have the network infrastructure to easily accommodate wearables, IoT, tablets, phones, tracking, and analytics devices within the facility.
- Wireless Network Access Points — Upgrading your wireless network with improved access points (APs) specifically designed for large warehouse facilities is another way to drive your business forward. Keep in mind that such upgrades remain fruitless without good, reliable wired networks already in place as support. Having said that, the ongoing rise of connected devices coupled with your security needs may warrant upgrading access points across your facility.
- Day One Purchasing — The impact of day one purchasing shouldn’t be overlooked either when it comes to optimizing warehouse processes. Quicker turnaround times, especially in retail, have driven a sharp increase in demand for warehousing space. Modernized, highly-efficient warehouses are best positioned to capitalize on this demand, but many have significant hurdles to jump to be competitive. Modernization toward achieving day one purchasing standards of performance involves investing in your processes today, reconciling any operational inefficiencies, and reducing turnaround times.
- Modern Physical Security Systems — Your warehouse security is not simply a function of your cybersecurity resilience. In an age where demands for order fulfillment have never been greater, safeguarding your on-site premises from physical security threats remains paramount. Innovations in modern monitoring systems have made it easier than ever to keep your facilities secure, and your valuable cargo, shipments, and personnel safe.
Now is the perfect time to invest in improving processes you actually can control. Supply chain bottlenecks are set to persist through 2022, placing a further premium on optimized warehouse logistics and processes. Taking the necessary IT measures now will not only make things easier for you and your partners but can also prove to be the difference between merely surviving and thriving in this environment.
A Network Partner for Warehouses and Logistics Organizations
The right partner can effectively secure your facility, help you stay protected against adversarial threats, and keep you in touch with the latest industry innovations. With a proven track record spanning more than 40 years of experience in warehouse security and IT, TTI is that partner. We work with logistics companies to install cutting-edge wired and wireless networks, monitoring systems, analytics systems, physical security systems, and much more. Contact us to streamline your business, stay ahead of the competition, and position yourself for success when things return to “normal.”