4 Things to Look for in your Automation Solution

DD9948_SMG3_Blog_17_Automation-SolutionIt’s a known fact: automation is the key to modernized enterprise success. However, with so many automation solutions available today, selecting one unique to your business challenges may be as challenging of a task as deployment. Nevertheless, choosing top-notch warehouse solutions that comply with your warehouse needs is crucial because companies with high-performing supply chains see a significant increase in revenue growth. Research shows that 79% of companies with high-performing supply chains achieve revenue growth superior to the average within their industries. An automation solution that doesn’t work efficiently with your warehouse will derail supply chain performance and lead to lower revenue growth, slower deliveries, and eventually drops in customer satisfaction. 

While every business is inherently different, a viable automation solution should strive to accomplish the following four goals:

  1. Promote agility - Your automation solution needs to be agile to deliver quicker shipments to customers. Choosing a solution that prioritizes agility ensures that your business is shipping orders as fast as possible to keep up with demands. As we approach the holiday season, fulfillment centers expect earlier stock outs as demands for products are rising before typical holiday shopping dates. To remain competitive, warehouses must equip both seasonal and permanent workforces with fast-acting technologies that minimize downtime and wait times. 
  2. Be flexible to change and have the ability to grow - Automation solutions need to be flexible to adapt to increasing customer demands. Solutions that aren’t adaptable to change can leave your business unprepared to meet demands accurately and consistently. 
  3. Ensure worker safety - Worker safety has been on the rise due to the pandemic, and since warehouses can have dangerous equipment or harsh conditions, it’s even more imperative you keep your workers safe so they can feel secure in their work environment so they can be productive. 
  4. Protect data - Securing important information must be a capability of your warehouse solution. Critical information such as shipping addresses, payment information, and customer contacts are often targeted by today’s cyberthreats, which means devices should prioritize data security in order to thrive in today’s digital landscape. 

How Voice-Based Picking Meets these 4 Goals

Voice-based picking has become one of the most popular automated solutions in modern warehousing due to its easy implementation, flexibility, scalability, and safety. When integrated as part of a tailored automation solution alongside a committed team, voice-picking has been noted to... 

  • Lower operating costs with faster adoption rates.
  • Improve worker safety since workers no longer have to look down.
  • Faster ROI since more orders are processed in less time.
  • Ability to be more competitive as voice-picking has become one of the top modernization strategies in today’s warehouses.
  • Consistent order accuracy since workers must interact with the WMS vocally to verify picks.

Whether it be traditional barcoding or next-generation voice picking, discover an automation solution designed to meet your business needs. Contact us at SMG3 today for an in-depth assessment of your workflows to target where technologies like voice-picking can boost productivity.