sUppLY CHAIN sOLUtIONs
DemAND FOr DIGItAL: tHe ever-evOLvING LOGIstICAL seCtOr
By Kenny Watson, automation sales manager at Linde Material Handling
efficiency of the operational supply chain. And two main areas where we are seeing the most demand for digital are fleet management and automation. After all, shopping habits have changed
I
drastically, and the labour market is becoming more turbulent. the rise of e-commerce and fall in bricks and mortar retail has created a shift. many retailers are no longer transporting in bulk to stores, but instead sending goods right to our front doors. this requires a lot of manpower, so many new,
large e-commerce warehouses are absorbing a huge amount of traditional warehousing staff. At the same time, brexit is gradually reducing the UK labour pool and COvID-19 has impacted the reliability of human labour. For many materials handling companies, these changes are making things even more challenging. but with challenge comes opportunity. Linde
material Handling has seen that its customers are now keener than ever to invest in new technologies that can help bolster the efficiency of their warehouse operations. especially when it comes to lower-level tasks where digital can ease the burden on staff, such as order picking.
ConneCted fLeet ManageMent the last year or two have been tough for the logistics sector. the economic uncertainty created by the pandemic and brexit resulted in a general decline in the investment levels of cutting-edge logistics technology from many consumers. but, with confidence returning, the market has been picking up significantly this year. It is no secret that digitalisation is set to change the world of intralogistics. One notable example is with connected fleet management technology. Fleet management allows a company’s forklift truck fleet to be controlled centrally. this mostly involves optimising the availability of individual forklift trucks and then coordinating the distances that are travelled. modern forklift trucks can now continuously collect data for this purpose – providing real- time performance data which is
n such a key era for the logistics industry, we have seen major demand across the sector for new and improved ways to bolster the
analysed and can then be used to optimise complex warehouse and transport processes. Networking and advanced sensors allow these forklift trucks to act autonomously. this results in the fleet and fleet management becoming intelligent, and networking and real-time data access becoming increasingly important. It can also detect problems such as capacity bottlenecks at a much earlier early stage. the Linde connect fleet management system
offers customers efficient fleet management. Whether in production or the warehouse, these connected devices make fleet management more cost-effective and increase the availability of each individual forklift truck.
tHe poWer of autoMation Automation is already transforming the warehouse as we know it. As more and more companies have realised, automation can radically improve efficiency wherever there are repetitive tasks. For example, in areas such as very narrow aisles solutions. Although automated guided vehicles (AGvs) perform at a slower rate than trucks operated by a person, they can run for 24 hours a day and remove the need for an operator – narrowing the margin for human error. AGvs make warehouse operations far more
streamlined by fulfilling simple transport from one point to the other at the press of a button. this can boost employee development and morale by removing workers from low-value and repetitive jobs, giving them more time to focus on higher-level tasks. With a massive rise in the demand for goods to
person picking, we can expect to see more autonomous mobile robots too. Instead of someone going around the warehouse to pick the goods, these little units will travel around the warehouse where they will take goods to a central picking station where they can be collected by a member of the warehouse team. so, the product keeps coming to the person and they don’t need to move. but a change in mindset is necessary to get the
most out of automation. Organisations need to be passionate about adopting the technology, and disciplined in their application of it, to make sure it works properly. You must embrace it, work with it and manage it to get the best from it. It is important that employees buy into it too and see it for what it is – not a threat to their job security, but a handy tool to free them up from trivial tasks.
a forKLift truCK equipped to tHe Modern CLiMate With all of this in mind, it is important to have a forklift solution
that works for your operation and the challenges of the modern climate. Counterbalanced forklift trucks are a multi- usage intralogistics solution equipped to tackle a variety of challenges. Whether in e-commerce, just-in-sequence supply of production lines, or globally networked supply chains, the demands on goods and material flows are changing rapidly and becoming increasingly complex. For industrial trucks, flexibility and connectivity are the key to success - combined with productivity, safety and ergonomics. Linde material Handling is addressing these
requirements head-on with its newly developed generation of counterbalanced forklift trucks. the new counterbalanced forklift trucks offer a unique combination of freedom of choice and future reliability. they are based on one innovative technological platform which is compatible with every type of energy system. the new Linde X20 – X35 electric forklift
models in the load capacity range from 2.0 to 3.5 tons are the first electric trucks to match the performance and robustness of Linde’s hydrostatic engine trucks, while offering the additional environmental benefits of battery- powered operation. they are capable of meeting performance standards beyond the limits of conventional electric trucks. these include, mastering steep gradients, consistently achieving high handling rates, and operating in very dusty and dirty conditions. more and more companies are turning to electric
forklifts to make their intralogistics as sustainable and climate neutral as possible. these battery- powered vehicles don’t give off any emissions
during operation or produce any harmful CO2, so long as the electricity is generated from renewable sources such as wind, solar or biomass.
LooKing aHead there is more pressure than ever for the logistics industry to become as efficient as possible. After all, global retailers will only look to partner with warehousing and distribution partners with the capabilities to meet the needs of the modern consumer and cope with the often unpredictable human labour market. With cutting-edge technology such as connected
fleet management and AGvs, logistics companies can greatly bolster their process and empower themselves to really thrive in the current climate. but heavy investment in these new technologies is not right for every company in the materials handling sector – especially smaller scale operations. Whatever the scale of your logistics operations, it is important to find a solution that will allow your supply chain to be the best it can be.
Linde Material Handling
www.linde-mh.com/en/
26 september 2021 | FACtOrY&HANDLINGsOLUtIONs
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74
