In today's day and age, technology is at the center of our daily lives. It positively impacts our ability to communicate, access information, and ultimately stay current with the world around us. However, utilizing technology shouldn't be limited to just personal living - your business can reap the benefits as well.
What are the benefits of technology?
Increased Automation: Automating processes maximizes efficiency and allows firms to allocate their human capital to other areas of their operations. Automated systems are generally more consistent and can produce significantly more than a single employee.
Minimize Processing Errors: "To err is human" ... After all, we all know errors can be quite costly, especially in the business world. Humans can be distracted, and long hours and fatigue can lead to increased error rates and mistakes.
Improve Productivity: Technology solutions will allow your company to get more done in a shorter period of time. Additionally, these implementations won't force you to sacrifice quality in order to increase output.
Reduce Costs: Cost saving is always on the minds of business leaders. Most technology solutions come with substantial initial costs but pay for themselves over time.
What are the three key technology solutions available?
Wearable Technology
Some wearable technology has been around a while and is in wide use today depending on the operation. Wearable scanners - scanners that fit onto the forearm, wrist or finger of employees - allow warehouse associates to use both hands while picking, sorting, and packing. Voice Pick has been prevalent in grocery distribution operations for years.
Voice Pick allows employees to keep their eyes and hands free while using simple verbal commands to complete orders. The most recent evolution of wearable technology is Smart Glasses for "Vision Picking" and early adaptors will confirm an increase in pick accuracy and productivity with reduced errors.
Systems
The old adage "time is money" still rings true today and data is key to unlocking continuous improvement in your operation. Electronic time tracking allows managers and supervisors to monitor when and how long employees spend working for a specified period of time.
A robust Labor Management System (LMS) can create visibility to how much time and money is spent handling orders and performing other duties that are essential to your daily warehouse operations. In addition to automating payroll, collecting and analyzing this data regularly can provide leadership with vital insights during downtime, delays, and waste so you can create an actionable plan to address them.
Robotics
One of the hottest topics right now in business is the use of robotics. The challenging labor market, coupled with the lingering COVID-19 impact and the need for more output, robotics and automation are overhauling warehouses and changing how work gets done. From the old AGV's (Automated Guided vehicles) to autonomous mobile robots and drones doing inventory counts, this technology can replace or augment your workforce to help meet today's challenges.
Check out some of the resources and many articles on robotics available through WERC.
Are Your Technology Solutions Outdated?
Despite the vast amount of technology solutions designed to optimize labor effciency and improve operations, Many organizations are slow to adapt, costing them time, money, and ultimately customers to avoid disrupting their "normal." Upgrading your current systems or using a different approach to labor may seem like a daunting task for many; however, our team has decades of experience implementing strategic solutions for a wide variety of companies. Insource provides our customers with insights into their workforce options and the technology that can help increase it's efficiency.
To learn more, download our infographic to discover the six labor moves to improve operational efficiency, or connect with us.
