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Skills shortages, the effects of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, as well as the energy crisis greatly influence the operations of numerous logistics companies worldwide. We show you the biggest trends you should keep an eye on and what you can take away from them to meet the current challenges.
It is difficult to predict what will move logistics in the future. Much depends on the economic climate, which, as the past few years have shown, can change in an instant due to one single event. Still, there are trends that are more independent from this and that will certainly play an overarching role for intralogistics in the future.
The shortage of skilled workers continues to have an impact on a lot of companies. The hunt for qualified staff is a pressing issue and forces many companies to rethink their approach. These days, many employees value well-equipped workplaces and the opportunity to work outside of the office. In many jobs in the logistics environment, however, this option does not exist. That’s why it’s important to ease their workload as much as possible. Advanced assistance systems are the answer: Cobots (collaborative working robots), adaptive software and assistance tools such as pick-by-vision are in demand. This is a potential benefit for job seekers, but also offers advantages in terms of productivity and the quality of work processes.
Ordered today – shipped tomorrow? With the rapid growth of eCommerce, this has become the norm for customers. To ensure delivery capability going forward, lean processes and a well-organized warehouse infrastructure are must-haves. And it doesn’t stop there: Supply chains need to become even faster in the future. If you want to profit from the increasing demand, intelligent software can help you uncover optimization potential: Making routes in the warehouse and individual process steps shorter to cut down delivery times even more.
Physical activity is healthy, but the wrong kind of strain affects your physical and mental well-being. Warehouse workers demand a lot from their bodies day after day, walking several kilometers, sometimes carrying heavy items. Over time, this can lead to permanent physical damage. To increase health, productivity and well-being of employees, companies need to focus on ergonomic assistance solutions. However, caution is advised: Many systems such as pick-by-voice transform physical strain into a cognitive one. It is better to implement methods such as pick-by-vision, which provide a more well-rounded approach.
Wearables are an essential part of everyday work in the warehouse. Whether MDE, smartphones, tablets or smart glasses – many companies rely on different devices for different tasks in the warehouse. A crucial factor for success is a common user interface with a consistent user experience. This increases acceptance among employees, shortens training times, and ensures higher quality. Companies should therefore choose a provider that distinguishes themselves through multi-device competence. The overarching software that warehouse workers works with with should communicate with all deployed and underlying systems and always provide the same user interface across all devices.
When demand for certain products skyrockets, reliable forecasting is more important than ever – and not just in production. This is especially true for peak seasons or offers. Most warehouses then rely on additional workers for picking. The tricky part is that many of them don’t immediately master the existing logistics solutions. It is crucial to choose software that can be operated intuitively and without extensive language skills. The company benefits from simple operation above all when it comes to training new employees, which takes significantly less time.