Building Supply Chain Resiliency Through Warehouse Modernisation
Warehouse leaders are under constant pressure to do more in less time without compromising on accuracy. By increasing data visibility and analytics, warehouse operators can dynamically respond to challenges or peaks in demand while optimising productivity. Zebra Technologies commissioned a global research study among decision-makers and associates to analyse the latest trends and technologies transforming warehouse operations.
Overall, 73% of decision-makers will accelerate the timelines of their warehouse modernisation projects this year. Their top three priority areas for modernisation include labour optimisation, streamlining processes, and moving to cloud-based systems.
In terms of technology investment, 91% of decision-makers will invest in visibility across the supply chain and supplier management, while 89% will invest in digital twin technology and 87% will invest in robotics.
Putting Supply Chains to the Test
Global disruption has exposed the vulnerabilities of traditional supply chain operations and forced businesses of all sizes to embrace change and enhance resiliency. Despite the push for innovation, it’s hard to keep up with the speed of transformation. The world continues to move online, accelerating shifts in consumer demand and putting more demands on global distribution networks.
As e-commerce grows, so too does the demand for inventory traceability and reverse logistics. These changes put even more pressure on warehousing operations to move from siloed and reactionary to more predictive and adaptive. 77% of warehouse decision-makers and associates agree that out-of-stocks and inventory inaccuracy challenge productivity.
Forward-thinking enterprises are investing in solutions that enable real-time visibility and traceability in warehouses, such as RFID, 3D sensors and machine vision, which have revolutionised the way warehouses capture data.
However, warehouse operations also need advanced analytics to make the most of all this data gathered across the supply chain. 71% of decision-makers are investing in software and automating analytics and decision-making, which can help them gain instant insights into inventory levels, demand patterns and operational performance, empowering swift decision-making and enabling agile responses to unforeseen disruptions.
Warehousing Modernisation in Action
As a warehouse reaches higher maturity levels, integrating inventory visibility with other supply chain processes becomes a cornerstone of success, enabling seamless coordination and collaboration with suppliers, distributors and customers. Customer expectations for real-time updates and transparent delivery experiences make visibility indispensable for meeting evolving demands.
Warehouse decision-makers are increasingly turning to sensor technology to meet these demands. By the end of 2024, most plan to deploy RFID tags and sensors with strong growth expected for RFID printers and encoders. Over the next five years, however, the highest growth is seen in 3D sensors, active RFID tags, computer vision, fixed RFID readers, machine vision and fixed industrial scanning.
Transforming Tomorrow’s Supply Chain
Warehouse visibility remains an essential component for a thriving supply chain ecosystem. The demand for efficiency and cost reduction in today’s competitive landscape is motivating warehouse leaders to optimise their operations, identify bottlenecks and streamline processes. As warehouse technology and automation continue to evolve and standards of operational excellence also rise, businesses will lean on solutions that enable them to track the real-time location of all assets and inventory through each step of the supply chain.
To read Zebra’s Warehousing Vision Study, click the website here.
