Inefficiencies in the warehouse can lead to an unsatisfactory service and thus, unsatisfied customers. To avoid this, ensuring your warehouse technology is updated is essential. There are many ways in which warehouse technology can be updated, such as cabling, communication and data services.
The importance of warehouse technology
Innovative technology has become a crucial feature of warehouses to accommodate for businesses in high demand. Up to date technology in the warehouse is essential to enhance any company’s productivity and potentially reduce the workload for staff. An example of this is perfectly demonstrated by Amazon’s Warehouse Robots which are used at the ‘picking and packing’ process in large warehouses. Costing £632 million, these robots can move at 5mph and easily transport packages that weigh up to 317 kilograms.
However, updating your warehouse technology does not mean futuristic robots are the only option. A similar alternative is drones, which are becoming increasingly popular as they improve accuracy and can be used 24 hours a day meaning no time is being wasted. However, updating your warehouse does not need to be expensive or involve high-end technology. In fact, simple solutions such as changing your wifi or improving your communication system will significantly improve any warehouse.
Fibre Cabling
Currently, fibre optic cabling supports a vast amount of the world’s telephone systems and internet. Using this technology in a warehouse is ideal because data can be transmitted across long distances in comparison to traditional networking cabling systems. Fibre cabling does not only offer faster bandwidth over long distances, but is also easy to install and provides reliable data transmissions. Fibre optic communication systems consist of three main components:
- Optical transmitter
- Fibre optic cable
- Optical receiever
An advantage of using light to transmit the data and signals in fibre optic transmission is that there is no way the data can be detected by “listening in.” This means opting for fibre cabling will benefit those who are conscious of having a low-security risk.
Voice over IP (VoIP)
Voice over Internet Protocol is something worth considering when updating warehouse technology. It allows you to transmit voice communications in a more cost-efficient way by using IP networks such as the internet. VoIP has many benefits, including:
- Increased productivity
- Increased mobility and flexability
- Easy to install
- Easy to troubleshoot
- Improves collaboration
Puffin Solutions are National VoIP Providers that offer 24/7 support and experienced technicians to ensure your VoIP is running smoothly at all times.With over 10 years experience in data cabling and hardware installation, Puffin Solutions will provide immaculate service you can rely on.
Wireless Networking (WiFi)
Generally, wireless networks need to be refreshed every three to five years. However, if you have recently updated your warehouse Wifi and believe it is not meeting the demand of the company, you may want to think about upgrading it again. This is because reliable connectivity and the importance of mobility in the warehouse cannot be understated. Moreover, if you have opted to use VoIP in the warehouse, having a secure wireless connection is essential for employee communication.
Comms Room Refurbishment
A comms room is an essential feature of any warehouse. Keeping it updated ensures all the IT systems are organised correctly and stored in a safe and secure environment. When refurbishing your comms room, there are four key factors to consider:
Location
The location of the comms room must be carefully considered for it to work effectively. For example, building a comms room against an exterior wall could be problematic as the wall could become damp or contain water pipes which would damage the equipment if they were to burst. Similarly, avoiding exterior windows is also something which should be noted as they pose a security risk. Having an easily accessible comms room is also important so any issues concerning the IT systems in use can be easily found and fixed.
Air conditioning
It is important to monitor and control the temperature in a comms room as computer equipment is sensitive to dust, humidity and most crucially, heat. Installing air conditioning into your comms room is critical to ensure all IT systems avoid overheating and continue to function well.
The Air Conditioning Company install air conditioning systems suited to the needs of any comms room.
Fire protection
As mentioned above, computer equipment is susceptible to heat and sometimes prone to overheating. To minimise fire damage and the threat to workers in the warehouse, installing a fire suppression system is crucial. The system will automatically extinguish a fire without any human intervention.
Future proofing
As companies evolve, warehouse demand increases and thus so does the comms room requirements. It is important that your comms room is not compact and instead spacious enough to accommodate for new equipment.
Drones
Companies have discovered a very modern way to simplify counting inventory in the warehouse. Manually, this process can be quite time-consuming, but with the introduction of a drone, this time decreases significantly, as well as increasing accuracy.
The drone’s camera can scan all the necessary information, and with image recognition support, it can update the physical inventory. Any potential discrepancies picked up by the drone can then be checked manually.
The success of drones in the warehouse has led to people questioning who will suffer as a result. As drones complete tasks faster and more accurately than humans, they are the more favourable option. Therefore, the potential loss of jobs is starting to put people on edge. However, while drones do in fact reduce the need for lesser qualified jobs, the demand for specialised skills in the logistics sector will increase. For this reason, it is argued drones could actually increase job opportunities.
The key to a successful warehouse
Updating warehouse technology will not only benefit the company’s growth but also create a more relaxed working environment for warehouse staff. To meet the expectations of consumers, high in demand businesses need to operate faster and communicate without difficulty. By updating warehouses technology, whether that be installing Voice over Internet Protocol or introducing drones into the warehouse, you can save money while significantly improving productivity.
