'Google-type glasses will be the next tool'

Automation remains at the top of the agenda in the warehouse industry where ongoing efforts are being made to speed up delivery and increase capacity. According to Martin Bailey, chairman of Industrial Logistic Systems (ILS), automation improves warehouse response time, increases capacity, improves accuracy and reduces labour. It also goes a long way in addressing the major challenge of the South African warehouse – security. “It really does solve the big cost drivers that affect warehousing in South Africa – labour and security,” he says. Also, in terms of the size of warehouses, which are increasingly covering larger and larger areas, automation has gone a long way in allowing pickers to cover the areas far more efficiently than would have been the case without technology. “This is just the beginning. There is a lot of technology still coming – specifically aimed at the warehouse environment,” Bailey told FTW. “It started off with scanning of product in the warehouse, and that changed the face of the industry tremendously. That is starting to be replaced very quickly with most of the big players in the industry now converting to voice systems. It has a major benefit in efficiency, it is a fast and relatively inexpensive system to implement, and it works extremely well.” And the next tool he predicts is going to be a type of google glasses. “Internationally lots of research is happening at the moment. It is also an easyto- use system and simply requires the picker to put the glasses on and follow the arrows that pop up pointing him in the right directions.” According to Bailey, an automated warehouse is becoming a necessity rather than a ‘nice to have’. “The world is changing rapidly. With more demanding customers holding far less inventory than ever before there is much pressure on warehouses to deliver product faster,” he says. “Also, with automation one does to a certain extent take the human element out of the equation and it more often than not results in a far higher accuracy rate. At the same time deliveries are smaller as customers no longer hold large quantities of stock so it is a much faster-paced environment in which one is operating. Automation ensures efficiency in that.” According to Bailey, as the demands of customers change so too do the warehouse systems have to adapt. “Internationally e-business is dominating, and while it is not yet as prevalent in South Africa it is coming and it will have an impact on our warehouses,” he said. INSERT & CAPTION Most of the big players in the industry are now converting to voice systems. – Martin Bailey