Intelligent Data Centres Issue 27 | Page 71

THE BENEFITS OF WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION IMPROVEMENT IN THROUGHPUT AND PRODUCTIVITY ENSURES MAXIMUM UPTIME AND REDUCES COSTS .
THE EDGE

ENABLING THE WAREHOUSE OF THE FUTURE

The warehouse of the future must have a fast , efficient communications network connecting everything and everyone . This is the view of George Verdes , Head of Sales for Transportation and Logistics in MEA at Nokia , who tells us how Nokia ’ s Optical LAN is enabling this vision .

Global lockdown in 2020 and beyond has resulted in a surge in e-Commerce , along with a change in consumer expectations and behaviour . A need for specific goods quickly coupled with a want for fast gratification has put supply chains and warehouses under pressure to manage their operations with increasing speed .

Warehouse operators are facing cost pressures , tougher SLAs and booming e-Commerce markets , which is driving them to open new warehousing facilities closer to the end-user and to increase the use of automation in facilities . LogisiticIQ Research forecasts the warehouse automation market will grow at a ~ 14 % CAGR from US $ 14.8 billion in 2019 to almost double at US $ 29.8 billion in 2026 .
The benefits of warehouse automation improvement in throughput and productivity ensures maximum uptime and reduces costs . As supply chain and logistics operations look to digitalise and automate to minimise the impact of COVID-19 , the use of Industrial Internet of Things ( IIoT ) will also drive automation changes in warehousing – a change that requires fast , reliable connectivity .
IIoT will also play an important role in the warehouse of the future . These new and advanced sensors can be deployed in warehouses to monitor temperature , health , energy , light and machines , and used for safety , predictive maintenance and facility management to improve situational awareness in and around the warehouse . Asset tracking , condition monitoring and indoor precise positioning are three elements that are also crucial to the warehouse of the future .
It gives the warehouse operations full visibility of their supply chain which enables them to understand the

THE BENEFITS OF WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION IMPROVEMENT IN THROUGHPUT AND PRODUCTIVITY ENSURES MAXIMUM UPTIME AND REDUCES COSTS .

estimated time of arrival of assets to warehouses , diagnosing unhealthy or disrupted supply chains and provide improved customer service . www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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