In the supply chain, the storage of raw materials and finished products is an important data to be mastered. Companies must have enough stock to be able to respond effectively to demand, but they must not have too much to avoid overstocking, which has a fairly high cost and ties up resources unnecessarily. In such a context, technology comes to provide companies with efficient solutions in the management of their supplies and their stocks.
Transformation of the storage function over time
Several decades ago, it was normal to see many people working in giant warehouses. Some of them to receive the incoming items, others to check and count them, still others to draw up the output and input sheets for raw materials and finished products, others to manually count the quantities of each item in stock.
Today, technology has profoundly disrupted logistics. With a single ERP software, companies can monitor stock inflows and outflows in real time and with technologies such as QR codes, they can significantly save time in recording operations for item inflows and outflows. The image of the warehouse we had 20 years ago has thus been considerably changed. Fewer visible operators in warehouses and a huge gain in the performance for some operations. In mega warehouses, interactive maps allow operators to find their way around the storage area and quickly find the items they need.
What is the next step?
Have you ever seen the luggage sorting system at an international airport ? See how quickly sensors scan luggage and direct it to the correct loading bay. Now imagine that at the end of the conveyor belt there is no human but a fully automated vehicle that receives the luggage and leads it to the right plane? The warehouse of the future could look like this scene.
Thanks to a central computer, the orders will be sent by the operator and from there, all the magic takes place. Sensors scattered throughout scan, weigh, measure all incoming and outgoing items from the warehouse and store all data in the centralized system. Fully automated forklifts equipped with anti-collision systems cross the warehouse up and down to store the items or transport them to a container ready for loading. At the same time, a set of rays scan continually the warehouse space to inform the operator in real time about the movement of each forklift and its load as well as the evolution of stocks. This warehouse of the future will require less operators, less time and will cause fewer errors in inventory management.
This scenario looks like something out of a science fiction movie, but the development of artificial intelligence will make it possible to create intelligent warehouses capable of such feats. However, will we have enough energy resources to make it all work?
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