The Digital Wearhouse & 'connected' plastic pallets

Steve Penney, Key Account Manager at Goplasticpallets.com explores the digitisation of the warehouse and the growing need to embrace new technologies, including IoT and ‘connected’ plastic pallets.

I have seen with my own eyes that as digital technology advances and warehouses continue to evolve, there is an even greater adoption of automated technology and this year will certainly be no exception.

Why embrace the change?

We all know that digitalisation and automation are changing the way industries operate. Businesses that embrace these innovations will enjoy a strong advantage as the tangible benefits of changing a warehouse from manual to digital are dramatic.

According to a recent survey The 2021 MHI Annual Industry Report – Innovation Driven Resilience 1 as many as 83% of respondents believe that the digital supply chain will be the industry’s dominant model within the next five years. For 22%, it is already the dominant model.

The digitisation of numerous logistics and warehousing operations is rapidly becoming an absolute necessity for businesses. A digital warehouse can become more time efficient, access real-time stats, accurately track stock quantities, eliminate human errors and stock misplacement, and can also dramatically reduce wastage.

A game changer for businesses

IoT is at the heart of smart warehousing, ensuring that the various components work together seamlessly.

Software experts Tech Jury and others like Security Today report that 35 billion IoT devices will be installed worldwide by the end of 2021. For instance, systems can be installed within a warehouse to notify when a stock level goes below a threshold limit or a geo-tag could alert a business when a product or asset, such as a container or pallet, goes out of a permitted area. In the food and beverage industry for example, IoT tags can help warehouse operators find, rotate and pick stock effectively and safely to ensure compliance and minimise food waste. IoT will largely help to eliminate manual intervention and make warehouse management a much more seamless process.

Thanks to new technological possibilities, we are seeing many companies moving at least part of their process to automated solutions. Sensor-equipped pallets use technology to transmit vital data without the assistance of the human touch. The IoT monitoring sensors can track geolocation, impact, temperature and other data in real-time during transportation through the supply chain, this means you can always be assured of traceability, quality and efficiency.

We’re ready, are you?

Imagine a smart enabled fleet of our most popular APB 1210 Pool Open 5R plastic pallet, extremely strong and capable of many repeat cycles of use, but now with all the benefits of an IoT connection. By integrating the latest technology into our plastic pallets, there could be no more missing stock, full traceability and the pallets would run seamlessly through the automation of the warehouse and through the entire supply chain. What more could you ask for?

At Goplasticpallets.com we have 20 years’ experience supplying plastic pallets and plastic boxes for warehouse applications of all shapes and sizes including smart solutions. Get in touch with us and let’s talk digital.