Although you may be leery about the costs associated with a wireless Warehouse Automation System implementation, such as DCWarehouse Automation, there are many short and long term benefits.
Here are a Few Examples:
1.) Labor Efficiency
Warehouse workers can do much more work in a shorter amount of time because they do not have to constantly look at paperwork. In addition, they do not have to manually record their counts, picks, packs, ships, moves, receipts etc.
2.) Picking Accuracy
Picking accuracy is improved with automatic, straight-forward feedback due to bar coded products and directions to specific bins they are located in. This eliminates errors resulting from refocusing attention to printed pick-lists or manual paperwork.
3.) Shipping Accuracy
Workers scan the correct products during the fulfillment process so customers receive the items they actually ordered. This eliminates expensive remedies for shipping mistakes such as RMA processing.
4.) Real-Time Inventory Visibility Across Your Company
Management, operations, customer service, and customers receive real-time inventory and shipping information, so you operate more efficiently due to improved visibility.
5.) Labor Savings
Long and tedious Inventory Processes such as a Physical Counts can be reduced up to 75% resulting in less over-time and more accurate inventory availability.
6.) Accurate Inventory for Planning and Purchasing
MRP/DRP works in your favor because the basis (your actual inventory on-hand) is 100% accurate (Please note this requires good processes coupled with WMS). Without an accurate inventory basis you could end up purchasing products you do not need tying up your cash-flow and taking up valuable space. Or, you might miss the boat on products you actually do need to meet your customer demands. This could result in losing orders all-together, a big “No No”.
7.) Accountability
Your personnel’s work is accounted for due to all information being tracked for inventory activities such as picks, counts, moves, receipts etc. This improves employee accountability and you can also reward your top performers.
