Industry 4.0: is your warehouse ready?
From RFID scanners to smart management systems, Industry 4.0 introduces a multitude of technologies into the warehouse, transforming it into a smart, adaptive environment.
The warehouse is a mini-ecosystem. Its automated and interconnected technologies help to drive the distribution. But, as we enter the brave new digital world of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), the warehouse is evolving to meet the growing pressures applied to it further up the chain. This will be achieved by integrating the digital and the physical – improving productivity in the process.
Industry 4.0 has many guises in the warehouse:
• Connected I4.0 tech
• The Internet of Things (IoT)
• Voice picking
• Vision picking
• Warehouse management system (WMS)
• Semi-autonomous machines
• Radio-frequency identification (RFID)
I4.0 technologies are allowing warehouses to adapt to the significant changes that are impacting upon their businesses, helping them evolve into a crucial element of the integrated, smart supply chain, improving productivity in the process. Essentra Components has already begun the transition to a fully integrated, connected and digitised Industry 4.0 supply chain network through the use of TW Pick and Pack and warehouse management software. The £150,000 investment was deployed in order to drive efficiency in pick and delivery accuracy, enabling employees to have better access to warehouse activity data and management information. In addition, the company plans to introduce an improved location management system to track stock more accurately and reduce the delta between available and picked product.
For full article on Industry 4.0 in the warehouse, please visit www.essentracomponents.com
