Warehouse Technology Trends for 2023

Technology is evolving constantly, and that is good news for the warehouse industry. Modernizing your warehouse with improved technologies can streamline processes and boost overall efficiency. As we head into a new year, let’s take a look at some of the ways you can modernize your warehouse.

Benefits of Warehouse Modernization

Before we dive into the details of how you can modernize your warehouse, let’s take a look at why you would want to in the first place. After all, if you have a warehouse flow that works for you, why change it? When you consider the potential benefits of implementing one or multiple modern technologies in your warehouse, it’s easy to see why it might be time to make some changes.

Warehouse modernization:

• Improves individual worker productivity
• Improves team productivity and workflow conformity
• Increases asset visibility and utilization
• Utilizes real-time guidance and decision making
• Utilizes data-driven performance

How to Modernize Your Warehouse

Increased productivity and data-driven performance sounds like a no-brainer, but how do you actually modernize your warehouse to achieve these outcomes? While there is a multitude of technologies that can benefit warehouse operations, we are going to highlight four impactful technologies.

• Voice Picking Technology
• Sensor-Driven Operations
• Intelligent Automation
• Robotics

Voice Picking Technology

Voice technology has greatly improved in the last couple of years, and voice picking has advanced because of it. By eliminating the need for physical system devices, voice picking makes it possible for warehouse employees to complete picking tasks while keeping their eyes and hands-free. 

How Does Voice Picking Work?

When using voice picking technology, warehouse operators typically wear a headset with a microphone. The headset speaks instructions regarding picking tasks and locations. Employees follow the prompts to fulfill tasks and confirm accuracy. Once a task is completed, employees receive a new prompt in their headset.  

Interested in learning more about voice picking and the role it can play in your warehouse? Listen to our webinar: Pick with Your Voice, Not Your Fingers.

Benefits of Voice Picking 

Voice picking lets employees focus more on picking tasks, without being distracted by pushing buttons or entering information into a device. Additionally, the technology automatically optimizes picking paths so that workers follow the most efficient route as they fulfill orders.  

Voice picking technology like AccuSpeechMobile complements your existing WMS and is device-based (no server needed). AccuSpeech also supports multiple languages and provides quick employee onboarding at a fraction of the cost of traditional voice services.

Sensor-Driven Operations

Gone are the days of using precious time to manually scan barcodes, thanks to radio frequency identification (RFID) and industrial scanners. These devices automatically scan products as they come into the warehouse, and they can even scan and locate items remotely. 

Sensor-driven operations improve warehouse efficiency and inventory visibility, namely by eliminating human error. They also make it possible to track more information without manual data entry. 

Intelligent Automation

Machine learning AI can improve automation processes in warehouses so much so that, oftentimes, human interaction is no longer needed. There are several automated technologies that benefit warehouses, including:

• Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS)
• Autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs)
• Automated palletizers

Integrating these intelligent systems also increases warehouse safety by reducing the handling of heavy equipment and loads. AGVs follow predetermined, optimized routes in order to minimize collisions and maximize warehouse traffic.

Robotics

More and more warehouses are utilizing robotics to fulfill orders, and they are seeing amazing results. Amazon, for example, has robots that transport items to warehouse employees. With this integration in place, warehouse employees can pack 300 to 400 products an hour, as opposed to the 100 they could pack without robots.

Robots can assist with and streamline many warehouse tasks, such as picking, sorting, packaging, transporting, and replenishing. They are ideal for tasks that are repetitive. When robots handle monotonous manual tasks, warehouse employees can focus on more complex tasks that require critical thinking. 

Modernize Your Warehouse with Help from Liberty Systems

Ready to enjoy the benefits of a modernized warehouse? Liberty Systems is experienced in the industry and offers comprehensive warehouse solutions and RFID technology to help you do just that. Contact us today to get started.