FEATURE Automated Warehousing
Warehouses do not enact warehouse auditors’ recommendations
A
survey commissioned by ProGlove late last year has identifi ed a stark disconnect in the warehousing sector.
The survey statistics paint a vivid picture of desire contrasted with reality. Some 77% of warehouse workers trust the data they receive, but just 9% report that recommendations from external consultants have been fully actioned. Most warehouses rely on third party audits to give them insight into how to increase productivity on the warehouse fl oor. However, the very nature of these audits fails to depict the true story of the shop fl oor. The problem lies in the quality and type of data they are receiving. And, 54% of fl oor workers want extensive scanning data, but third-party auditors won’t provide this. In order to achieve the desired data-driven productivity gains, organisations must provide their workers with the most accurate and useful data possible.
However, according to the survey, the most popular form of warehouse fl oor operations analysis is through third-party audits. This is an archaic system given the level of technological innovation we have seen in this space. An army of randomly selected audit operators follow fl oor workers through their various daily processes over a number of days. Their method of record keeping is pen and paper, and their collected data is often entered manually. There is no reason in this era of technological innovation for such an inaccurate, opaque and error-prone approach.
The trouble with third party auditors Third-party auditors come with a list of problems, most of which can be solved by an integrated wearable technology solution. These problems include but are not limited to: • Behavioural change: People will not act rationally or normally under observation. Wearable tech unintrusively shadows
14 March 2023 | Automation
Decision makers are seeking out productivity gains, but not getting the insights they desperately need
workers as they move freely around their environment, providing more accurate and useful data insight, whilst leaving them unencumbered and unobserved. • Inaccurate conclusions: Auditors draw conclusions from insignifi cant sample sizes that cannot provide an accurate picture of operations. Wearable technology can provide insightful conclusions based on vast swathes of data, collected from multiple sources over months, weeks, or years. • Opaque data collection: Third-party auditors don’t provide customers with full access to their data. An integrated software/ hardware solution provides raw data and the ability to easily interpret it. • Knowledge of your business. Who knows your business better than you? No one. Small, arbitrary assumptions on the part of auditors can lead to wayward conclusions and ineff ective decisions. The importance of a bottom-up approach that complements the more common top- down view is vital. It is in the cohesive understanding of both, where effi ciency can be unearthed.
[Image: Jake Nebov for Unsplash]
The solution is clear: an integrated software
and hardware wearable technology. It represents the nexus of priorities for all levels of warehouse management. Total jurisdiction and democratisation over your data. The ability to interpret and implement effi ciency drives on your own terms. More accurate data; observed over a longer period. Ilhan Kolko, CPO at ProGlove, said: “This survey does what third-party consultants often don’t – clear, transparent, data-based conclusions. There is an evident need from workers to receive helpful data insights to improve their workfl ows. The solution is comprehensive in-house data insights, provided by bottom-up tech that creates valuable data landscapes from which points of ineffi ciency can be discovered.” The full survey report is available at:
https://www.proglove.com/productivity-in- the-warehouse-survey/
CONTACT:
ProGlove
www.proglove.com
automationmagazine.co.uk
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