3 Trends Transforming the Future of Warehousing Operations

Zebra’s latest Warehousing Vision Study surveyed over 1,400 IT and Operational decision-makers to assess the present and future state of warehouse operations. In this blog post, we take a closer look at the study’s key findings including the increasing need to keep up with e-commerce demands and identify three trends transforming the future of warehousing operations.

Investing in Technology

The e-fulfillment revolution is forcing change across every part of the supply chain and our on-demand economy has increased the complexity of how companies do business. In order to remain competitive companies must invest in the implementation of new technologies. More than three-quarters (77 percent) of respondents agree that augmenting workers with technology is the best way to introduce automation in the warehouse, but only 35 percent have a clear understanding of where to start automating. Decision-makers plan to invest in a variety of device form factors to help their employees work smarter, faster and more accurately. They also plan a significant increase in investments in rugged tablets, industrial scanners, wearable computers, as well as mobile and stationary computers. 62% of respondents plan on upgrading their current mobile warehouse technology.

Implementing New Strategies and Tools

The warehouse is a crucial hub when it comes to order processing and fulfillment. Business around the country can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, they need to establish a system that fine-tunes the fulfillment process. 73% of organizations plan to begin modernization by equipping workers with mobile devices. As part of this process, 83% of respondents report they are currently using or planning to use the Android operating system in the warehouse. Android implementation improves work efficiency, stabilize performance amid workforce variability.

Let Us Help

Warehouse leaders are turning to technology to prepare for the rapidly expanding on-demand marketplace. Decision-makers plan to take an incremental approach to warehouse modernization by first focusing on their most valuable asset, their workers. The SMS Group empowers organizations to achieve a performance edge. Contact us  to learn more.