Page 50 - FoodFocusThailand No.164 November 2019

STORAGE, HANDLING & LOGISTICSANDLING & LOGISTICS
STORAGE, H

Warehousing

Technology Innovations

from Around the World

It is predicted that over 85% of all businesses will be digital within the next
few years. As such, warehouse operators and logistics firms need to react
quickly by implementing the latest technical innovations. Not only will this
ensure that these companies will be thoroughly futureproofed, but supply
chains will be operating at peak efficiency – great for customers and
businesses alike. Here are the most exciting technological innovations in
the warehousing sector that should keep an eye on.

EDI Communication Continues to Grow Big data according to drone specialists . Warehouses are often stacked to
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1will be finding its way into warehousing in many ways in the the roof with inventory. This makes certain barcodes tricky to reach
near future. EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) looks to continue this and could require the use of a forklift, cage and staff to scan them.
trend. In short, EDI technology allows for sharing of documents, with Drone specialist is confident 800g drones, carrying scanners,
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a shared format, between two computer systems. Popular uses for can count as much stock in two days than an 80-strong team,
EDI in this sector include purchase orders, warehouse shipping orders, complete with lift trucks and handheld scanners, could in three days.
warehouse stock transfer receipts, warehouse shipping advice and Navigating inside warehouses safely is the final challenge to
warehouse inventory advice. complete before drones are further adopted – but with major
The benefits of EDI are many when integrated into a successful companies such as Amazon and Walmart looking to expand their
warehouse management system (WMS) – most notably, the seamless warehousing operations with drone tech, the future is bright for these
and highly visible flow of information between two different computer airborne aids.
systems. No two business partners’ systems are the same. The
standard format, and compatibility, of EDI documents allows for greater RFID Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is already a
efficiency, visibility and collaboration between all parties for smoother 3major force in warehousing, but it will become more
operations. sophisticated in the coming years.
The benefits of RFID include greater stock visibility and
Drones Swoop In Drones are pieces of tech that have transparency, which offers ease of inventory as well as a reduction
2seemingly been pulled from the pages of science fiction and in theft. The Institute in Dortmund, Germany, seeks to combine
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made reality. Handy for a wide variety of applications, drones are set drone tech with RFID to further automate the inventory process. By
to make appearances in warehouses globally as firms seek to further attaching a reader to a drone, inventory can be catalogued at a
increase levels of automation. much faster pace. Floor space can also be saved as the RFID tech,
So why drones? They can aid with tasks that could require a large plus the manoeuvrability of the drone, allows stock to be stacked
number of man-hours. One such use is for barcode scanning, as a high as possible.
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