Digitalisation of 3PL Warehouse Process Flows

Improving Digitalisation of Warehouse Process Flows is Another Step Forward in Gaining Warehouse Efficiency

 
 
Improving Digitalisation of Warehouse Process Flows involves reviewing each and every process in the warehouse and re-evaluating them to include all aspects of the job. Most warehouses using mobile computing and mobile printing technologies (barcode scanning, voice, RFID etc.) already have partial digitalisation.
 
 
 
The issue is that many of the ancillary processes are not digitalised. Below are three examples of digitalisation of warehouse process flows that we have delivered. Hopefully, these will help explain the concept, and inspire you to review your operations to boost Digitalisation of your operations.
 
Example #1 – BRC Questions on the RF units
Many operations that we visit, while they have barcode scanning on Goods In, still have pieces of paper scattered around to capture BRC information. You can digitalise these BRC questions as part of the RF Goods In process flow or by setting mandatory questions at either the load level e.g. Is the vehicle clean?, Are there any signs of infestation? or setting them at pallet level, or indeed as interval questions for example at every “N^th” pallet, request the operator to capture the temperature. There are a multitude of benefits to removing paper from the process: not losing sheets of paper, reduced filing and retrieval administration time, as the RF is real-time it will automatically date time and operator stamp the transactions aiding traceability, etc.

Example #2 – Digital Image Capture on the RF units
The new generation of RF units have good quality cameras that can be built into the units. Traditionally where there were damages, operatives took a picture on a digital camera, or on their mobile phone, and then had to manually download or email these to the recipients be this the haulier, consignee, stock owner, manager, etc. The digitalisation of this process is more efficient, the operator can press “D” on the RF unit, the camera will appear on the RF unit, the image is captured by pressing the trigger, and can be transmitted over the wireless network, generating an email and auto-emailing this to a predefined email circulation list before the image has finally attached itself to the relevant In-DEX WMS transaction for perpetuity.

Example #3 – Value Added Services (VAS) for 3PL Operators
3PL operators make their money charging for handling storage and associated tasks. Quite often while these have been contractually agreed they are not captured due to a lack of digitisation. For example, if it is agreed between the client and the 3PL operator that any damaged inbound load pallets will be replaced for Health and Safety reasons, that a handling charge may apply. The operator physically re-palletises the problem pallet(s) and before they return to the stock office to provide the details another vehicle arrives. They are then distracted and the charge is never applied. Sound familiar? We can digitalise this process by at the end of every transaction by asking operators before they get their next task “Have you performed on VAS’s for this transaction “Y” or “N”. Operators won’t see any charging information just drop-down detail of the agreed VAS’s appropriate to that client. They enter the quantity, which in the background writes a billing line for invoicing purposes.
 

Our advice to any operation is to review the existing processes and ask “How can technology solutions can be deployed to provide end-to-end digitalisation?” As we all know there are no “big bang wins” left in most warehouses today.  Efficiencies and savings are gained by small incremental operational improvements multiplied by many repetitions.

We just love to develop clever solutions that improve on our client’s operations and ROI. If you’d like to discuss an initial trial, or are experiencing Warehousing or Supply Chain operation issues and bottlenecks – or you just need improvements to stay ahead of the competition – then contact Joe O’Shea today.