While smart technology has been available to consumers since 1998, it has only more recently worked its way into the Industrial real estate sector. Building automation technology is cutting edge, but it's not brand new. A decade ago, what passed for a “smart” building focused on HVAC, single buildings, and solutions that lowered operating costs. But the value now has increased, in part because of advances in sensor technology that contribute to the Internet of Things. With networked devices and powerful analytics that can be used to drive efficiencies, technology has opened the door to new opportunities for both sustainability and savings. Below are a few examples that are benefitting Industrial businesses today.
Automated Picking Tools
While many people think of this as technology that eliminates jobs the best options enhance the work of human pickers. Though there is a wide range of options to choose from in the realm of automated warehouse picking, the most efficient automation tools work with your team members and can be easily integrated into existing warehouse processes quickly and seamlessly.
Automated Inventory Control
Automated inventory control platforms are implemented to take the labor, guesswork, and extraneous time out of traditional inventory control. Additionally, many of these platforms are built to automatically count the inventory and synthesize the data for fast, real-time, and ultra-accurate reporting that can be accessed remotely.
Automatic Guided Vehicles
There’s no better way to ramp up your storage and retrieval processes than to integrate automatic guided vehicles, otherwise known as AGVs, into your warehouse. The structural integrity of AGVs are evolving as technology moves forward, but even the models that have been on the market for some time have proven to be safer and yield a quicker ROI than manual labor. Some of their most important functions include pallet, rack, and other container storage, and even features that control and automate the entire receiving process.
Warehouse Management Systems
Warehouse Management Systems are comprehensive software systems that work with other automated elements to gather all your relevant data into one platform that can be easily accessed. This compartmentalizing of data makes for faster reporting which can mean more efficient planning, even for the scenarios that you didn’t see coming.
There are many other technologies that can benefit your business. Not everyone needs, or can afford, a complete overhaul, so it is recommended to start with the technologies that make sense for your business and all its processes first. This can make any warehouse a “smart” warehouse.
