October 2021 Warehousing, Depots & Distribution 5The changing face of warehousing How has Covid affected the warehousing/depot/distribution industry? In a number of different ways. In the beginning the staff complement was doubled in case one team member got Covid and had to be swopped out. A year on and the picture is slightly different. Now it is only the individual who is affected who needs to be replaced. Management and supervisors have also had to take on dual responsibilities. What has become clear is that to perform they have to have the correct tools to assist with these roles and responsibilities. Digitisation was always going to happen, Covid-19, however, has speeded up the process significantly. What are the biggest challenges facing the warehousing sector at present? Many of the challenges are around Covid-19. On a middle-management level, every responsibility has to be shared with at least one other individual who can fill in should there be a Covid-19 case. Every one of these people already has a responsibility of their own, which leads to thinning of responsibilities when anyone is off. The only way to remain on top of your game is access to timeous information.Another challenge is continuity – especially in the initial phase of digitalisation. When a person becomes ill due to Covid and is taken out of the loop, they need to be brought back into the project with as little disruption as possible.Also challenging, especially for the medium and smaller sector, is knowing where to begin with digitalisation. Most know they could benefit from this, but where to start is the big question. Digitalisation is fundamentally about reviewing and optimising existing business processes, streamlining operations, and utilising technology to do so. Break this down for the layman – what does it mean? The first step is to understand the current processes that are happening in a business. The next step is to take each one of these processes individually and understand if it is being performed at its optimal best. If not, then change or enhance the process to ensure this. Once you have designed a good business process f low, this should be used to find the correct technology partner to take your business into digitalisation. Digitalisation is a process requiring a partner with the right skills to take the company through the process, each step at a time, from implementation, to training, to going live and ongoing support. What are the benefits of a digitalised warehouse/depot? Faster, more accurate data as digitalisation means less human intervention – for example, scanning information as opposed to manual data capture. Also, the sharing of information. Anyone who has access to the system can check the f low of goods throughout the warehouse, and this allows for informed decision-making. Information shared on dashboards for KPIs to be displayed throughout the business gives everyone a view of the performance and the challenge to meet and improve these. How does an operator embrace digitalisation in their warehouse? An operator’s tasks become easier and more accurate and efficient. For example, moving replenishment from a manual white board and manually looking for stock and writing it down for the operator to replenish, to an automatic instruction on a scanner, leading the operator to the correct location and pallet, with the correct stock and a simple scan to confirm the move from that location – then leading them to the replenishment location for a second scan to confirm they have moved it to the correct pick location, is far more efficient. If digitalisation leads to incentives based on efficiencies that can be measured, operators and businesses benefit.
