The Importance of Warehouse Automation Apps

Here’s the thing: there’s always going to be a part of your business that you can probably do more effectively – and part of the process of owning, and growing, a business is figuring out what that is. 

Maybe when you started out the latest technology was just a webpage; now it’s social media, apps, and chatbots. Maybe it was something even more mundane than that – a way of thinking about business that isn’t as effective anymore (remember cubicle offices? Like that.)

There’s one area where your business will always, always be better off for it though, and it’s automating your warehouse. 

What is warehouse automation?

If you’re a retailer or any business that has a warehouse, you know the problems of running one: it’s big. It’s dangerous, in some cases. A warehouse controller’s job is fundamental to the running of the warehouse, since they keep track of inventory, what’s going on, and whatever problems you need to address to keep the warehouse running smoothly. It’s a job that doesn’t leave room for error – and humans are prone to errors. We’re human! Of course we’re prone to errors. 

Machines, and apps, aren’t. Given that they’re coded well enough, a machine can perform a warehouse job without error – and do it in a way that’s safe. You can’t really ask an employee to work 24/7 on location without error or illness, but a machine can. 

And that’s where warehouse automation comes in. Warehouse automation software takes your warehouse and breaks it down into figures: how much inventory you have, which robots are working well, and if there’s a drop in efficiency. It is tireless, always in operation, and it only needs a bare minimum of human involvement. 

What can I automate in a warehouse?

Let’s start with the data. 

Warehouses are goldmines of data, and your business relies on having access to that data as quickly as possible, and as accurately as possible. 

When you automate your warehouse’s software, you can choose to automate data entry, inventory management, and warehouse management. All of this is just data that can then be fed into an app for warehouse workers, or even just sent directly to a dashboard that the company has access to. 

That’s not going into what you can do if you have robotics in your warehouse: robots that pack orders or send products from one side of the warehouse to the other. With that kind of technology, you can keep an eye on the way your robotics are performing too, and monitor any dip in productivity. 

What are the benefits of warehouse automation software?

Data is difficult to read if it’s coming from people, and the cost of error is always going to be higher than with a machine. When you automate your warehouse software, you’re making sure that your business has no room for that kind of error, which means that you’re going to see a big difference in your warehouse. 

1. Efficiency – less error means less time spent fixing those errors. 
2. Analysis – businesses who are currently in a state of growth or who want to push their growth need access to the information that this provides; it’ll make it easier to pick the right directions to go in. 
3. Safety – worker safety is higher if you’ve automated your software, and the risk of workers getting injured will be far lower with automated vehicles and constantly monitoring your warehouse. 
4. Accuracy – keeping track of inventory manually is always going to be riskier than automating your inventory. With one aspect, you can quickly see what you have in stock, what’s selling, and what’s not, and guide your business accordingly.

Do I need warehouse automation?

At this stage in the game, we have to say that’s probably a yes.

Technology is always going to change the circumstances it operates in, and if enough people hop onto the bandwagon, then that technology becomes the norm, not the outlier. There are enough warehouses that use automation software that warehouses that don’t are going to lag behind, whether they invest in other technology or not. Warehouse automation is a powerful, efficient way of increasing your profits: no wonder so many businesses opt into it. 

But that said, there’s still time to automate your warehouse, still time to make changes to the way you work, and still time to develop a way to work with the technology and make your life easier. If you need a little guidance on how to do that, talk to us: we’re always happy to help!