Logistics is undergoing a transformation to which we must adapt in order to meet present and future social and economic demands. From the need to reduce the carbon footprint derived from all supply chain processes to the management of sales promoted by the rise of e-commerce, new technologies offer great benefits.
Incorporating digitalization with systems such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, process automation or robotics, among many others, helps to improve logistics management, addressing all aspects of the supply chain.
Given the important role that the logistics sector plays in society, innovation is essential to meet the needs of demand and to be able to adapt to changes easily. Consumer buying habits are changing, which influences the need to incorporate this change in the sector.
According to research by Ludwik Wicki, a professor of economics at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences Digital tools such as warehouse management systems are one of the solutions to improve productivity and operator performance. In a practical case, their incorporation allowed to increase by 40% the performance of operators, improving the productivity level by 50%.
However, the results are not immediate. It is with the progressive incorporation of these tools that productivity and process efficiency can be increased. Incorporating them as soon as possible can only help every logistics business understand and prepare for change and cope with market variations.
Intralogistics 4.0 tools
The increase in productivity is a fact and refers to intralogistics 4.0. In this article we show some of the keys to achieve an improvement in business effectiveness through new technologies.
The incorporation of this has one main objective: to improve processes so that they are carried out accurately, quickly and effectively. Some tools that have come with this digitization-based logistics are:
Cloud Services
Integrating in the same environment all the applications and processes of your company is possible thanks to platforms such as the cloud. With the incorporation of software with cloud services it is possible to store system data on a server, being able to have access from any medium and place, the information is available at all times.
Its cost reduction, functionality and ease of incorporation in any area related to the supply chain has led more and more companies to decide to incorporate these systems into their processes.
Within cloud platforms we find a diversity of services offered such as logistics cybersecurity solutions, business continuity, communications management, cloud computing and many more.
That a single system can encompass so many tools makes cloud services an exceptional tool for achieving productivity gains.
The flexibility it offers when it comes to incorporating changes in the company and monitoring work helps to improve the organization of a multitude of services. At the same time, it speeds up workflows and reduces downtime by optimally managing resources and data.
Artificial intelligence
The incorporation of AI helps to improve aspects such as merchandise disposition, production route planning, management control focused on product flows, etc. With it, a reduction of errors and full control of stock is achieved.
From its incorporation, this technology learns from the processes, so that the improvement is continuous, optimizing all those in which it is incorporated. One of the aspects in which this tool offers great benefits in the supply chain is risk management.
Not only does it help to reduce errors, but it also allows planning how to manage a crisis derived from any possible problem. Through systems such as machine learning, the tools learn from incorrectly performed activities in order to process action plans.
These are just some of the solutions that offer the most services in the logistics and digitized world. Their incorporation helps key aspects of the supply chain.
Consultant in Logistics and Supply Chain Technologies
