In 2021, the supply chain was defined by fallout effects from the Covid-19 pandemic. Labor shortages, for one, caused lengthy delays and rising costs for businesses and consumers alike.
In response to these challenges, many supply chains are becoming less reliant on manual labor and increasing investments in automation technology. In a World Economic Forum survey of 300 companies, 43% stated cutting back on manual workers in favor of automated solutions would be part of their future strategy. Fortunately for these companies, the costs of automation have gone down significantly over the past few decades, and now there is an even greater variety of automation technologies to implement. In fact, automation has never been a more practical solution for supply chains dealing with the biggest challenges they have ever seen.
What Is “Automation”?
Automation refers to any technology that can handle a process with little to no human intervention. Oftentimes, automation streamlines or optimizes cumbersome and routine workflows, freeing up a limited labor supply for more valuable tasks. Common advantages of implementing automation technology include:
- Fewer errors
- Less strain on employees
- Increased efficiency
- Better allocation of resources
- Process consistency
- More accurate data
Technologies For Short-Staffed Supply Chains
Automate & Reduce Manual Labor with RFID
One of the most pressing things that can be automated in the supply chain is the collection of data. RFID is well-suited for companies struggling with unreliable manual labor or cumbersome processes. Automatic RFID data collection solutions have helped many clients make processes more efficient, reduce operating costs, and meet new compliance demands. Our solutions can be used to drastically reduce and even eliminate time and labor spent on these workflows, helping deliver substantial savings.
- Verifying items during receiving and shipping
- Auditing and tracking inventory
- Tracking workflows and work in process
- Managing appropriate stock levels
- Locating equipment, parts, and assets
Learn more about automating processes & eliminating inefficiencies with RFID.
Streamline Workflows with Voice Automation
Voice automation streamlines picking workflows by eliminating the time and labor it takes for manual picking processes. With voice-guided work, employees can keep their eyes on tasks and eliminate manual data inputs, boosting productivity up to 40% for each voice-enabled process. Furthermore, voice-enabling an application has shown to increase picking accuracy, eliminating inefficiencies and accrued operating costs from miss-shipments and returns. Other results from automating workflows with voice include:
- 99% accuracy
- 40% improved productivity per voice-enabled process.
- ROI in 12 months or less
- 50% faster training and ramp-up time
Learn more about automating picking operations with voice
Start Automating Today!
Automated data collection solutions deliver considerable savings and quickly achievable ROI for supply chains affected by labor shortages. Automation solutions not only allow better allocation of labor resources but they make operations more efficient and effective.