#distributioncentre

How IoT will Impact the Distribution Center | Smart Gladiator

It’s one thing to rave about the benefits that IoT will deliver to a distribution center, but it’s another to get a look at how it really adds value and provides actionable insights. Let’s take a look at one experience I had recently.

Recently, I was at a prospect site for a pilot demonstrating our technology. Typically, we show up at the client site Monday morning and get things up and running in an hour. We connect our devices to the WIFI network, then to the Warehouse Management System (WMS). We put the devices in the hands of users, get them oriented with a mini training system and they start using them.

Image Enable Your Supply Chain and Reduce Chargebacks | LoadProof

Some people think that the supply chain is behind in terms of technology. The technology, though, is available. As an industry, we should start looking at the best ways of leveraging these technologies for benefit.

Consider mobile devices. My nine-year-old daughter uses an iPad and FaceTime to video chat with me and never gives it a second thought. In a distribution center, though, it’s not so easy. Not every operator working in a distribution center can take pictures and or even send a text message. Many don’t even have access latest mobile devices. The supply chain community is risk averse and the cost of failure in such a mission critical function is high. The focus is on being timely, as well as complying with a variety of regulations and standards.

When a box leaves the distribution center, getting it to the final destination requires cooperation between a variety of entities. As it passes from the distribution center through Fed Ex to the United States Post Office, it needs to be scanned for tracking by each party. If one party in the chain changes the process, such as using a different label or label printer or barcode specification, it’s critical that the change is workable for everybody. If the chain is broken, workers must manually intervene which takes time and lowers accuracy. These dependencies make change daunting.