Modern warehouse In the heart of technological revolution Part Two

Experts of Deloitte Digital show that the implementation of technological novelties has a really positive impact on the professional life of employees. The details of the research have been published in the report “The connected worker. Clocking in to the digital age"[1].

Up-to-date with novelties

Let's look at the numbers. As many as 88% of white-collar workers declared a decisive support for the implementation of modern technologies in their companies. Among blue collars, there were 76% of opinions in favour. so not much less.  It also turns out that the use of latest technological achievements does not depend on the educational background. People in the 21 century are learning to coexist with the rapid technological progress and they are gradually implementing it in their professional and private lives.

Future today

The TFL sector is one of the sectors which are eager to support employees by using the latest technological developments. It is connected with the fact that the work of a driver or a warehouse worker is particularly demanding. Because of that, innovations which improve the work of people are implemented in warehouses at the level of an individual employee and they reach the level of systems which manage the functioning of the whole company.Today it is hard to imagine the operations of a large warehouse without the support of computers which manage all logistics processes together with people. In the age of huge orders no deadline could be kept without this digital-human partnership. TFL companies use advanced warehouse management systems to optimize complex logistics processes as much as possible. An example here is the WMS Red Prairie used by Raben Group. Thanks to it, the data is stored in a structured and hierarchical manner while complex analyses and work optimisation can be provided continuously, without any interruptions. WMS Red Prairie allows also for controlling and management from the level of the computer based on reports and performance indicators.All this sounds like magic but according to the writer and the promoter of science, Arthur c. Clarke, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” It is pure science turned into practice.

Employee supervises, line executes

A great aid for people who work in large warehouses is undoubtedly the automation of lines which pack, transport and foil goods, which are be observed in Raben Group. Modern grid picking lines increase work efficiency improving the quality of picked pallets and significantly increasing their fill. It is similar with automated foiling lines. Thanks to them, it is possible to use less foil for packing (an economical benefit), to ensure appropriate protection of goods during transport (fewer returns and claims), elimination of errors in labelling and smooth flow of goods between the picking area and unloading ramps. This means: Speed, higher productivity, accuracy and precision and ultimately lower fatigue of employees.In the recent years, TFL companies (e.g. Raben Group in 2017) started to introduce modern aluminium telescopic conveyors. Controlled from the panel on a mobile platform, they allow for moving products, e.g. tyres, from the warehouse directly to the loading ramp. Just like the devices mentioned before, they improve ergonomics and safety of the flow of goods in the facility. They also optimise loading and unloading, shorten the time of both processes, maximally utilise the loading capacity, prevent products from getting dirty and ultimately limit the truck waiting time. In this manner, more work can be performed in a shorter time with much less effort on the side of employees.Weight and dimensions of goods are accurately measured by Cubiscan. Simply speaking it is a system which measures small objects using infrared while large ones with ultrasonic sensors. Information about weighed and measured goods is transferred to the warehouse management system which we described above.

No return

Specialists point to the pressure currently burdening TFL companies. The necessity to continuously boost productivity motivates them to use modern technologies like never before.  However, they must not forget that the key element of the service sector are people. The Deloitte report proves that the frequent application of innovations is necessary and there is no way around that. After all, who would like to do that.

[1]https://www2.deloitte.com/pl/pl/pages/human-capital/articles/raport-the-connected-worker-clocking-in-to-the-digital-age.html