Modern warehouse In the heart of technological revolution Part One

Modern technologies and people form a relationship based of a specific kind of symbiosis. We use the benefits they offer to make our lives easier, they benefit from the expectations we have of them. In other words: we improve them, make them smarter and more advanced so that our work can become more effective.  The logistics sector, including Raben Group, is an example how modern devices can be used in everyday work.

Hardware friend

Modern technologies in the warehouse are not just omnipotent systems which supervise the functioning of the whole corporate organism but also highly useful tools which come in handy in everyday work of a warehouse worker (meaning everything employees have with or on them). One of the best examples are mobile terminals resembling pip-boys from the popular computer game Fallout.  Advanced mobile terminals are connected to a ring scanner so they can be worn on the forearm. Thanks to these smart devices employees have a possibility to receive information about new orders wherever they are, read data directly from the screen, and then confirm them through the RF terminal. Apart from facilitating work, wearable RF scanners give employees free hands during scanning.

The bar code reader allows for the immediate and accurate identification of every product and later also for tracing its history.

Yet another invaluable “aid of the warehouse worker” is the mobile printer mounted, for instance, on fork-lift trucks.  Thanks to this, they are always close to warehouse operations.

Communication above all

The cornerstone of operations of every large enterprise is communication. The information flow between people and also between people and machines guarantees the uninterrupted and error-free work flow. Modern Raben Group warehouses use the Voice Picking technology. It is voice-based communication which is, however, not used between people. Its functionality can be compared to the function of the RF scanner, the only difference being that the employee does not have to use a keyboard because the commands are given by voice.  In this manner, a warehouse worker who picks goods in the warehouse receives a verbal message from VP where he should go (the position of a specific location). At the next stage the devices tells him what to pick and in which quantity. The person confirms receiving the message and then moves on. VP sets consist of a headset and a mobile computer controlled by voice. In advanced models, information about orders is sent through WLAN (or UMTS) from the warehouse management system directly to terminals where they are processed into voice messages. In this place we must say again that the future is happening now.

Naturally these are just few of the wonders of technology implemented to optimise warehouse work and consequently to achieve operational excellence which should be crowned by a timely delivery. As a matter of fact, the technological race is continually on and logistics operators all over the world are working to adapt the technology so that the work in warehouses can become easier and more effective at the same time.

In the next part you will read about modern systems which coordinate warehouse operations.