Demand for retail goods continues to grow exponentially in today’s omnichannel world. In addition to this, COVID-19, which has seen a huge increase in activity within the e-commerce space, has put retail businesses and supply chains under even more pressure to keep up with increasing demand and sharper consumer expectations.
Alongside the current high pressure retail climate, demand for labour in warehouses has never been higher, and this is leading to many retail businesses adopting advanced warehouse and automation technologies to stay ahead of the game and maintain their strength within the market.
Turning to automation
The switch from man to machine has quickly become a critical factor for many retail distribution centres (DCs) to maximise throughput, particularly when demand is high. As more orders flow through more warehouses, operations become tighter – with smaller delivery windows and less employees than ever to complete the work.
When faced with these challenges, many businesses have had no choice but to adopt automated technologies to become less dependent on human labour. In fact, 99% of supply chain companies globally say that they are already using automation in the warehouse to assist with retail fulfilment operations.
Online orders, which are rolling in at soaring volumes, are expected to be packed and delivered quicker than ever before as consumer expectations rapidly grow. Without the integration of automation in DCs, retailers simply can’t keep up with demand, which is why many of them are looking to invest in automation, not only as a solution to the current problem, but as a way to prosper in the future.
Gaining operational control
Advanced Warehouse Management Systems (WMSs), are the leading innovation for businesses looking to take full control of their operations. They allow businesses to gain visibility and real-time insights into things like productivity rates, inventory and fulfilment, and the coordination of their workforce, as well as complete control of all deployed automated technologies
WMSs work to provide a centralised point of control for all operations within a retail warehouse, including tasks outside of fulfilment, such as receiving and inspecting products and other value-added services. The integration of a WMS within retail warehouses has become an increasingly business-critical method for capitalising on any innovations as they emerge, offering a close-up view of one or all aspects of operations and coordinating the workflows of humans’ to collectively work together with robotics.
The right WMS also uses machine learning to improve processes. Using artificial intelligence, the system creates a baseline by predicting how long tasks should take. As work is executed, it analyses the results, then armed with real data, the WMS couples advanced orchestration logic with real-time awareness of capacity to optimise operations. The resulting improvements lead to reduced dwell time, shorter order cycle times and more accurate allocation of work. This means retail warehouse managers can act on more orders, increase service levels and maximise asset utilisation.
Technology fit to unify operations
The future of the retail supply chain will be an integration of people, robotics, and technology innovations, and while they all have a major role to play, the key to better productivity lies in helping them to work better together. An advanced WMS takes a holistic view of operations to bring both labour and automation together, and then incorporates machine learning to maximise efficiency.
This technology, built for purpose now and into the future, allows retail businesses to utilise all of their assets, synthesising any type of new automation they wish to add, to continually optimise operations. The right WMS gives retail businesses the best of man and machines, so they can take on any challenges that arise, as well as continue to get the most out of their operations and meet rising consumer demnds.
About Manhattan Associates
Manhattan Associates is a technology leader in supply chain and omnichannel commerce. We unite information across the enterprise, converging front-end sales with back-end supply chain execution. Our software, platform technology and unmatched experience help drive both top-line growth and bottom-line profitability for our customers. Manhattan Associates designs, builds and delivers leading edge cloud and on-premises solutions so that across the store, through your network or from your fulfillment center, you are ready to reap the rewards of the omnichannel marketplace. For more information, please visit www.manh.com.au.
Written by: Richard Wright, Managing Director Southeast Asia, Manhattan Associates