With an increasingly competitive scenario, seeking tools that add advantage to the competition is crucial for the stabilization of any business. One of the best examples of this is logistics automation, which helps optimize the company’s internal processes.
In addition, this system helps ensure the necessary structure for the company to compete, promoting several benefits. These include monitoring the logistics process, reducing costs, integrating the process and agility.
Want to know more details about automated logistics systems and how they can offer advantages for your business? Keep up with the Polyexcel blog.
What is logistics automation?
Logistics automation consists on the implementation of management systems and other tools that perform the entire logistics process automatically. This reduces the need for manual work and controls.
What are the main benefits of logistics automation?
Implementing this feature can bring several benefits to the day-to-day life of your company. Among the main ones is the monitoring of logistics processes, cost reduction, inventory control and more. Check it out below!
Monitoring of logistics processes
By using the Transportation Management System (TMS), an inspection tool, you can monitor information such as freight, route planning, tracking of goods and other logistics-related tasks. This feature also works to improve service quality and avoids errors in automation in logistics and supply chain management.
Cost reduction
Better inventory utilization and the adoption of management systems help reduce operating costs. That’s because their equipment eliminates some of the manual labor, allowing companies to optimize their human capital.
Safety for employees
Another great advantage of automation in logistics industry is the security that the process brings to the employee. After all, it reduces the physical risks associated with tasks that expose employees to stressful or dangerous situations.
Inventory control
Inventory management in the supply chain also makes it possible to control inputs inbound and outbound. Thus, it ensures that the availability of items keeps up with the demand for marketing, which avoids shortages and waste.
Strategic opportunities
Although technology dispenses some of the operational work, logistics automation generates more opportunities for employees in more strategic areas, such as research.
What tools do you need for this process?
To ensure all these benefits, processes need to be implemented in the company’s work routine. Check below some examples of logistics automation and the characteristics of each one.
WMS
The Warehouse Management System is a software that controls inventory routines. Through it, the manager is able to manage and monitor processes of receipt, storage and separation of orders.
TMS
As we mentioned above, the Transportation Management System is a software focused on the transportation routine. Its main features are: fleet control, cost management, tracking and freight auditing.
Scripter
Not all TMS features offer integrated route planning alternatives, which makes the scripter an excellent ally. This is one of logistics automation solutions that allows you to elaborate optimized routes, taking into account energy points, fuel expenditure, traffic restrictions, among others.
ERP
Although not entirely focused on logistics, Enterprise Resource Planning is indispensable for an efficient management. It also helps keeping communication flowing, causing departments to automatically exchange information and improve processes.
Search for automation during COVID-19
Even with many futurologists predicting the rise of robots, this new era has not yet arrived. However, with the advance of the pandemic of the new coronavirus, accelerating logistics automation can be the alternative of many companies, which brings even more concern with the prospects for unemployment.
The pandemic is also likely to mark the beginning of long-term change. After all, as companies reconfigure their offices and factories, new investments and forms of logistics and automation are designed to optimize their industrial processes.
In addition, companies will see opportunities to invest in new IT (information technology) systems to connect supply chains. Also in this context, the pandemic can accelerate robotics and automation in logistics , which allow the strength of robots in more manual areas.
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