Technology advancements are constantly changing the way supply chains flow. From barcoding innovations to novel locationing systems, new solutions empower leading distribution centers to elevate service quality and set a new standard for order fulfillment. With 87% of warehouses planning to expand the size of their warehouse by 2024, warehouse decision-makers should look for ways to optimize warehouse space and implement new technologies this year to keep up with trends. Facing new demands for faster and more accurate service, warehouses are encouraged to set adaptable goals to address evolving demands and incorporate innovative technologies. Here are some goals to strive for to meet new challenges this year:

 

  1. Track assets to reduce search times and improve visibility – Warehouses have a lot of assets moving throughout the facility, which can be challenging to control if you don’t know exactly where assets are. With an asset tracking system in place in your warehouse, you can easily find the exact location of anything, drastically reducing search times. Add tracking tags or sensors to any warehouse areas that you want to track. Tracking your assets improves warehouse visibility and helps maximize space usage.
  2. Automate manual processes for less touchpoints – Eliminate manual scanning in warehouse and logistics by automating manual processes like barcoding using technology like RFID and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). Manual scanning forces workers to identify an asset by finding its serial number or material ID, which can cause more downtime and less productivity. RFID and AMRs work to automate repetitive tasks and secure 99.99% visibility.
  3. Optimize transportation routes – Consider the importance of worker and forklift movement around the warehouse. When forklifts and workers flow properly throughout the warehouse facility, you spend less time transporting goods and improve productivity. Additionally, give workers more mobility on their routes around the warehouse with mobile power carts that help them maintain a full day of productivity.
  4. Create efficient employee workloads with clear task management  – When warehouses automate manual processes, it creates optimized employee workloads and improves efficiency. RFID and robotics can reduce the amount of manual work and provide warehouse managers with data to make better decisions, which drastically reduces employee stress.
  5. Use new data to prevent inventory and storage errors – Easy data access from RFID and robotics can help reduce errors during the warehouse process. Reduce the times the wrong items enter an assembly line or are placed for transportation and the times when you miss items in inventory. Streamlined data capture gives workers expanded data access so warehouses account for every item and improve inventory visibility.

 

When warehouses achieve these goals and optimize these areas, it drastically improves productivity and efficiency. Efficient asset tracking, automated manual processes, efficient employee workloads, and easy data access help distributors build a smart warehouse that evolves with demands. Get your journey started today to prepare for this year.

Peak season highlights what consumers are demanding from warehouses so decision-makers can adjust. Higher consumer demands and increased shipping costs pressure warehouse decision-makers to find solutions that improve inventory accuracy and shipping efficiency. To manage the new year, the warehouse industry is employing several strategies to deal with potential shipping problems ahead. Studies indicate that over half of warehouse decision makers intend to grow their networks as a strategy for the new year. Additionally, surveys show that 85% of warehouse decision-makers have implemented mobility solutions, so frontline workers can improve inventory accuracy. Despite this, 79% of warehouse decision makers are concerned they will not meet their business objectives without automated systems to handle the following challenges:

  • More SKUs stores in the warehouse
  • Labor shortages
  • Omnichannel shopping
  • Competition in the on-demand economy
  • Less or unused warehouse space
  • Fulfillment demands

 

Set Your Operations Up for Success

 

Higher returns after peak season, labor shortages, and a greater risk of cybercrime can decrease warehouse efficiency in the new year. To combat these issues, automation experts recommend preparing operations for incoming changes with future-forward technologies. Consider these solutions that make it easier to navigate challenges with simple but effective warehousing:

 

  1. Modernized order fulfillment technologies – A big trend and issue that continues for warehouses this year and next year are labor shortages. Recent studies show that 73% of warehouse operators can’t find enough labor. Enterprise robotics can help manage the pains of fewer workers and higher labor costs with 3 times more productivity and 50% faster order picking. Robotics also puts less stress on employees in smaller labor pools and can keep workers focused on non-repetitive tasks.
  2. Connected warehouses and supply chain – A more connected workforce that is informed on deliveries and orders helps your workers stay prepared for the new year’s challenges. Efficient connectivity can help improve asset visibility for smoother reverse logistics and a stronger enterprise network is prepared for cyber threats.
  3. Easy to use mobile powercarts that improve productivityDependable mobility from powercarts provides power to your mobile devices like tablets and printers for more than 8 hours. Reliable power ensures warehouses don’t lose productivity or drain cost. Mobile Power Carts are easy to use and provide unparalleled features for uninterrupted warehousing.

 

After the holiday season, businesses will need enterprise technology to keep up with challenges like continuing labor shortages and higher returns on top of high expectations. Get more information about how you can optimize inventory accuracy and warehouse visibility with the right solutions.

Reverse logistics has become a tough challenge for businesses because of the rise in e-commerce and the demand for easy and free returns. Businesses that achieve hassle-free returns retain more customers and improve brand identity. Studies show that 92% of consumers say they will buy again if the product return process is easy, and 79% of consumers want free return shipping. Additionally, the reverse logistics market projects to grow. Studies estimate that the global reverse logistics market size expects to reach $937.1 billion in 2022. Studies show the costs of handling returns jumped 59% due to supply chain and labor issues last year.

 

Businesses could suffer from higher return, shipping, and handling costs when they fail to meet consumer expectations for seamless returns. Researchers suggest that moving backward through the supply chain is actually more difficult because there isn’t a priority for efficient returns and products move against the normal flow of products. Consider following these steps to ensure your return process is optimized:

  1. Know why your returns happen in the first place – Given the expense that comes with returns, you should try to find why consumers are returning items. Awareness of reasons for returns can help you determine if you have the right return policy and if it’s playing a role in a higher volume of returns.
  2. Put transparent monitoring systems in place – Implement innovative monitoring systems that monitor assets throughout the return process. When companies improve asset visibility during reverse logistics they find areas that need improvement and can work to improve quality.
  3. Implement clear and easy return policies – E-commerce has created specific customer expectations for purchasing, and in this case, returning products. Since consumers are expecting free and same-day shipping, create a simple return process that can meet or be close to these requirements.
  4. Invest in the right technology – In addition to an effective inventory management system, you can digitize inventory updates with handheld devices. Consistent digital updates to inventory counts help improve your accuracy and speed for reverse logistics. Mobile devices can help workers accurately read tags and labels to improve accuracy and speed during the return process.
  5. Add return labels on the original shipping and packaging – Just simply adding the right return labels can reduce delays dramatically, while simultaneously improving customer satisfaction. Enterprise labeling helps the product get back much more quickly and helps the customer, which improves efficiency in the entire return process.

 

Visibility into the return process, clear and easy returns, dependable technology, and correct labeling can give your business what it needs to optimize reverse logistics. Simple solutions like this make the return process more valuable and cost-efficient.

A return process should be as simple and efficient as a delivery process. Learn more about what you can do to optimize reverse logistics and supply chain efficiency.

Last mile deliveries add up to big costs companies must control to improve supply chain efficiency. With peak season coming up, the potential for higher demands can make it harder to control delivery costs and maintain consistent shipping. Studies estimate that last mile deliveries account for over 41% of overall supply chain costs and 53% of total shipping costs. Additionally, studies indicate almost half of consumers will not buy from a company again if an order is late. Therefore, transportation decision-makers should find ways to improve delivery and meet consumer expectations while managing costs so they don’t go over budget.

 

Solutions that manage last mile costs, especially during peak season, can help businesses avoid missed delivery dates, inflated shipping and delivery costs, and irritated customers. To ensure your business controls last-mile costs and meets deliveries timelines, consider:

  • Optimizing routing and mapping
  • Offering more flexible delivery options
  • Keeping consumers and drivers informed with real-time updates
  • Verifying deliveries

 

Inaccurate routes and incomplete visibility can lead to higher costs and inconsistent delivery timelines. Supply chains will see unsatisfied customers and suffer lost productivity during the holiday season if decision-makers don’t find solutions to manage the last-mile.

 

Controlling your Delivery Process

Fortunately, businesses can improve visibility and optimize routes with proper connectivity, inventory tracking, and enterprise labels. Get these solutions for your business to help…

 

  1. Keep drivers connected for delivery verification and live updates – A more connected delivery team prevents disruptions with cloud-based data storage, mobile computers with push-to-talk capabilities, and long-range and flexible networking. Expanded connectivity and more storage can help drivers connect to teams. As fuel prices fluctuated this year, flexible network connectivity and RFID locationing can integrate visibility to track field teams and optimize travel routes.
  2. Manage track and trace – Dependable locationing from rugged enterprise devices like RFID gives field and delivery teams dependable real-time connectivity. Instant communication enables quick route changes and schedule updates to adjust workflows with minimal costly interruptions. When delivery teams face fewer interruptions, it reduces last mile costs.
  3. Proper inventory identification – Ensure your inventory items are properly identified and moved through the supply chain with enterprise labels. Certified labels built for enterprise use ensure compliance, have maximum adhesive strength, and are smear and fade-resistant. Inventory that is properly and timely labeled helps delivery drivers deliver the correct products on time, every time to control costs.

The last-mile makes up a high total of supply chain costs and can be the difference in meeting customer expectations. Learn more about how you can prioritize the delivery process with Avalon.

As supply chains adapt to accommodate more unique stock-keeping-units (SKUs), tracking individual products from production to shipping has become more complex. Studies suggest that 8 in 10 manufacturing facilities struggle to capture and leverage meaningful data within their operations. Moreover, while a vast majority of decision-makers emphasize the importance of end-to-end traceability, 70% of businesses still operate with incomplete visibility into their vital operations. Lack of clear traceability ultimately contributes to:

  1. Wasted resources
  2. Sudden equipment failure
  3. Recurrent need for rework
  4. Failure to meet deadlines
  5. Unclear demand forecasting
  6. Broken customer loyalty
  7. Unmet compliance standards
  8. Jeopardized consumer safety

For the food industry, estimates show that improper visibility costs $10 million per recall, while other manufacturers in the pharmaceutical and automotive industries have seen upwards of 4.85 billion in losses and facility closures. Put simply, compromised track-and-trace can be devastating to a business.

Optimizing Traceability in the Manufacturing Plant

When trying to improve operational visibility, track-and-trace experts recommend defining required data within your operations. Although unique industries may track additional data points, a proficient traceability system should track:

  • Supplier lot numbers
  • Serial numbers
  • Storage status
  • Delivery dates
  • Raw materials used
  • Compliance notes

Tracking these data points for multiple SKUs has proven challenging, especially during high-demand seasons. Current labor shortages pose additional obstacles to ensuring every workflow is accounted for accurately. To fit seamlessly in today’s fast-paced operations, track-and-trace systems must allow quick adoption, leveraging user-friendly interfaces and streamlining workflows. Consequently, two types of technologies have become essential when developing end-to-end visibility.

  1. Digitized Barcode Scanning
    Automated data capture solutions eliminate the probability of errors and missed touchpoints. Furthermore, they allow workers to focus on more important tasks, minimizing stress from manual data input. Next-generation mobile computers and ultra-rugged tablets combine data capture with data processing, updating traceability logs as products move throughout the facility. These same devices can also be used for work-in-process reporting, push-to-talk communications, and cycle counting, thus consolidating multiple workflows through one easy-to-use terminal.For facilities with multiple conveyors and complex loading docks, businesses can fully automate quality checks with fixed industrial scanners, installed in high-influx areas. Scanned data can be transmitted to other IoT devices for immediate action, and into your reporting system for future use.
  2. Real-Time Locationing Systems
    Taking barcode scanning a step further, real-time locationing systems can consolidate several data points with fewer tags while also providing in-motion tracking. For example, RFID systems utilize wide-range antennas to locate stored inventory and finished goods. By tracking incoming materials in real-time, facilities may also optimize just-in-time delivery, reducing the risk of overstocking.However, RFID isn’t your only option when developing real-time locationing systems. Intelligent visibility software such as Zebra MotionWorks supports material replenishment systems, safety checklists, and call triggers to connect workers to crucial data anywhere in the four walls

How to Get Started

Before deploying any modernization solution, businesses should run a workflow evaluation to target blind spots and possible challenges. Once your goals and challenges are outlined, our teams work with you in consolidating workflows through technologies that support end-to-end visibility, including:

  • Flexible connectivity options
  • Seamless app integration with Android
  • Push-to-talk communications
  • Automated data capture and sharing

To learn more about Zebra’s in-stock devices, contact us here.

Production floors in manufacturing plants need fast and accurate workflows that efficiently manage assets and deliver products. Automation is beneficial in boosting efficiency with control over work-in-process, traceability for recalls, and quality checks before products leave the production floor. Despite labor shortages, studies show that manufacturers still produce 44% more goods than 30 years ago due to factory automation solutions including automated data capture and digitized reporting. Therefore, it is no surprise that an estimated 42% of the time spent on manufacturing tasks will be automated by the end of the year. To remain competitive in the Digital Age, manufacturing facilities must consider the benefits of automating workflows as well as the consequences of delaying modernization.

 

Lack of automation within the production operation pressures your workforce to keep up with high demand influxes without agile tools. Enhanced systems such as automated data capture and sharing can manage operations, track stock levels, and monitor asset performance all in real-time for unbroken productivity. Although automation may take different forms in different industries, businesses can expect the following benefits from intelligent modernization:

 

  1. Increased product accuracy and quality control – Data automation tools like mobile computers can deliver consistent accuracy and speed with minimal variation, improving production rates and product accuracy. You can avoid higher costs from inaccurate production with mobile computers that provide faster-than-ever barcode capture and multi-distance scan engines that improve track and trace on the floor.
  2. Boosted versatility – Mobile technology like computers and tablets can come equipped with powerful extensions that allow businesses to increase security, improve device manageability and more. Expanded features enable manufacturers to capture up to 100 barcodes with a single scan to improve worker efficiency, while data automation delivers predictive analytics and rich data capture so your floor can stay flexible and adapt to rising demands.
  3. Faster return on investment – Dependable automation solutions reduce lead times, lower operating costs and improve output. Rugged mobile computers and tablets out-perform consumer devices and deliver dependable performance to improve the device lifecycles and deliver a higher ROI. Devices like this also help remove the errors of manual operations to deliver controlled and accurate workflows.

 

Speed and accuracy are the top priorities for the production floor. Mobile computers and tablets can help deliver real-time performance to manage operations and improve productivity. Automated mobile computing and scanning solutions deliver:

  • Faster and more efficient workflows
  • Quality checks and control
  • Enhanced visibility and flexibility for recalls
  • Faster cycle times

Automation is quickly taking over manufacturing plants to streamline productivity on the production floor. Learn more about how you can leverage track and trace solutions and rich data capture in your facility.

Today’s consumer demands require faster, more accurate, 24/7 fulfillment in warehouses and distribution centers. Businesses need trusted performance to identify, measure, track, and inspect items from production through distribution to deliver goods faster. Increasing numbers of businesses agree that implementing automation is the easiest and most efficient way to achieve fast fulfillment. Studies show that 80% of organizations plan to invest in new technologies to be competitive, while 70% of warehouse decision-makers need to modernize their warehouse operations–but admit they are slow to implement new devices and technology.

 

Warehouses with slower operations run the risk of losing customers, frustrating workers and enabling errors. To prevent these issues, automation experts suggest deploying strategies such as:

 

  1. Streamlining data collection – When workers pause to collect data, they create a significant time drag and diminish efficiency. While this can happen potentially thousands of times a day, an autonomous automated solution can eliminate downtime and free up workers to focus on more skilled, non-repetitive tasks.
  2. Choosing smarter scanning capabilities – Innovative and automated scanning technologies can be affordable, flexible and easy to deploy. Flexibility and easy integration offer simple management to make warehouse operations more efficient and workers’ days easier. Simplified integration also can help reduce training times so warehouses are more prepared for consumer demands.
  3. Implementing flexible barcode readers Industrial scanners can boost scanning capabilities by gathering data from numerous items at once. Handheld scanners with expanded read ranges and variable-distance barcode reading ensures your workers get the data they need quickly and with fewer steps.
  4. Reducing downtime with automated scanning – Industrial scanning solutions grow with your business and adapt to changing operational demands with flexible and durable designs. Smart automation withstands challenging conditions like warehouse environments to reduce time spent on repairs and maximize mobility.

 

Speed is the top priority when it comes to fulfillment and consumer expectations. Innovative solutions like industrial scanners can improve order picking and packing speeds without compromising accuracy or workflow management. Automated scanning technology provides trusted performance for the distribution process with:

  • Accelerated shipment handling
  • Increased efficiency
  • Decreased downtime
  • Streamlined workflows
  • Improved accuracy
  • Reduced risk

 

Improved warehouse operations and order fulfillment are achievable with innovative automated scanning technology. Learn more about how your business can improve accuracy and decrease downtime to surpass consumer expectations.

Challenges like labor shortages, shifting stock levels, and increasing demands for same-day shipping have pressured warehouses to quickly automate vital tasks in order to remain competitive. Without enterprise-ready automation, warehouses could suffer from inaccurate inventory counts and slow productivity. However, despite hindrances, studies show only 20% of warehouses successfully deploy automated solutions within their planned timeframes. In other words, while distribution centers understand the importance of automation, seamless solution execution is often challenging. Fearing complex implementation and high costs, many warehouses can miss the opportunities that come with today’s top modernized technologies such as warehouse robotics.

 

Studies show that robotics can reduce costs by 30% as they help improve accuracy and free up warehouse workers to focus on non-repetitive tasks. Existing operations that implement warehouse robotics pick up to  more orders and see a 90% reduction in onboarding and training time. As warehouses evaluate the need for robotics, experts recommend searching for the following signs of inefficiency:

  • Long picking time
  • Incomplete inventory visibility
  • Pen-and-paper processes
  • Sudden stockouts
  • Missed delivery times

 

4 Ways Robotics Help Alleviate Warehousing Challenges

As warehouses continue to navigate through persistent labor shortages, robotic technologies such as Zebra’s autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) give facilities a chance to redirect their human workforce towards more important tasks while AMRs focus on repetitive tasks or simple, value-added workflows like removing recycling or waste from a DC. When acting as part of a comprehensive modernization plan, warehouse robotics can:

 

  1. Boost order accuracy – Mis-picks and general order errors lead to lower profitability and slower warehouse workflows. AMRs help increase productivity up to three times by pairing workers with robots that are 50% faster and carry larger payloads than the competition. Working alongside your employees, AMRs increase precision picking to ensure the highest levels of accuracy and speed.
  2. Increase individual and team productivity – With an autonomous, smart-picking solution, warehouse workers can remain in specific zones to reduce excessive movement and maintain productivity. The AMRs travel between pick and put operations to reduce the distance and time that employees spend traveling between operations. When warehouses reduce the time it takes to complete repetitive tasks, employees can spend more time focusing on other, more complex workflows.
  3. Improve employee satisfaction – Robotic automation in warehouses sounds like it could replace employees, but robotics can actually work alongside your human workforce. Robotics can provide a sense of worker empowerment to take their focus away from repetitive tasks to do their jobs more effectively. Moreover, because they are built to handle heavy lifting and prevent collisions, AMRs also maximize worker safety, further boosting employee satisfaction.
  4. Amplify throughput with less labor – AMRs establish an effective goods-to-person picking system to provide a foundation that meets and adapts to market demands with accelerated fulfillment.

 

In the end. warehouse robotics reduce costs, orchestrate workers, increase picking efficiency and reduce the impact of labor shortages. Discover how you can redefine fulfillment with warehouse AMRs from Avalon.

The new on-demand economy puts pressure on warehouses to complete orders faster and more efficiently than ever before. Smarter approaches and solutions can help prepare warehouses for faster fulfillment, but these solutions aren’t always attainable due to time and cost constraints. Studies show that despite the on-demand economy, only 20% of warehouses worldwide successfully deploy automation solutions. Warehouses unequipped with automation can be less prepared for high consumer expectations that demand in-stock products, or low demands which could lead to overstocking. Therefore, businesses must find cost-effective automation solutions that deliver superior performance for a greater competitive edge.

 

Optimize Material Handling and Order Fulfillment with Robotics

While it may seem too futuristic or extreme, warehouse robotics can actually increase productivity and lower labor costs in the long run. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) reduce downtime by automating vital workflows and freeing up your workforce to focus on more important tasks. Studies show that next-evolution AMRs can achieve up to a 78% improvement in productivity for picking operations, keeping businesses ahead of market demands.

 

  1. Quick fulfillment solutions for different environments – AMRs can help manufacturing, fulfillment and distribution operations adapt to the on-demand economy. Enterprise-ready robotics like Fetch AMRs from Zebra bring immediate benefits by automating repetitive tasks, such as picking and packing, and doing so faster and with fewer errors. By helping workers manage urgent orders and meet faster shipping times, AMRs control costs by making the picking process more efficient and minimizing errors and missed delivery timelines.
  2. Out-of-the-box capabilities that reduce downtime – The on-demand supply chain requires on-demand automation. Out of the box, Fetch robots enable on-demand automation with quick deployment in just hours in any facility. Easy adaptation and operation in a variety of environments reduce training times and downtime costs.
  3. Fully-integrated benefits that deliver high ROI – While AMRs can be deployed in distribution, fulfillment and manufacturing centers, there are numerous areas where they can be fully integrated. For more advanced automation, Fetch AMRs can integrate with WMS, WES, MES or ERP systems to provide optimized picking and enable pull-based workflows. Easy integration quickly creates dynamic picking and replenishment processes to deliver a strong ROI.

 

Warehouse robotics can improve accuracy and boost picking operations when warehouses need innovation the most. Robots deliver fast ROI and reduce errors, which actually helps control costs. Learn how you can find the right warehouse automation solutions for your business with Avalon and Zebra.

If you are considering purchasing consumer-grade tablets, there are hidden costs that you should first understand. While consumer tablets can be enticing due to their low cost, their features, durability, and barcode scanning capabilities could be less than ideal. Reasons like these are making associates prefer rugged enterprise tablets that deliver more and can still be cost-effective. Studies show that nearly two-thirds of associates believe rugged tablets can help them deliver a better customer experience and increase worker satisfaction over consumer tablets. As the global market share of tablets is estimated to grow at 8% to $1,468.4 million by 2027, more supply chain decision-makers are switching to enterprise tablets because they can help improve the efficiency and performance of their workforce.

 

Businesses that don’t adapt to associate needs and supply chain trends could ultimately suffer from outdated operations, which leads to lost customers and diminished productivity. Here are some questions to consider when thinking about purchasing a tablet solution for your enterprise:

  • Can the tablet reduce operational costs and downtime that stem from lost productivity and broken devices?
  • Does the tablet empower your workers to work faster and smarter?
  • Is it equipped to handle heavy data capture needs?

 

Redefine enterprise operations with the right features.

Finding an enterprise tablet that addresses these concerns can help improve operations and reduce errors. Fortunately, enterprise tablets like Zebra’s ET45 help deliver the functionality and versatility your business needs to adapt to trends. The ET45 redefines enterprise operations because it:

 

  1. Delivers dependable durability at a lower price – Built for business environments, the ET45 delivers dependable performance in tough environments. Its design withstands drops, indoor and outdoor environments, and extreme temperatures for improved performance. Additional tablet accessories also enhance portability and durability in more demanding environments. All at a cost that rivals consumer tablets.
  2. Enhances data capture capabilities for scan-intensive environments – Your mission-critical workers should have access to world-class integrated scanning. Zebra’s ET45 tablet delivers split-second, first-time data capture of virtually every barcode, in practically any condition. For dependable, simple scanning or advanced range scanning, the ET45 is equipped to empower your workers to scan in virtually any environment. With the ability to simultaneously capture up to 100 barcodes, even on multiple labels with a single scan, this enterprise tablet helps create higher accuracy.
  3. Empowers workers to work faster and smarter with the right options – Get the fastest wireless connectivity to keep you connected anywhere with WiFi 6e and 5G speeds. Better connectivity gives workers access to the fastest networks which help them collaborate on important tasks when demands are high.
  4. Expand versatility with complimentary tools – Improve every aspect of the device lifecycle with features that deliver a built-in advantage. Features like Mobility Extensions and StageNow offer improved security and staging for easier device management.

 

A rugged enterprise tablet can redefine operations with advanced features that support higher performance. Talk to an expert at Avalon today to evaluate a tablet solution that meets your business needs.