Smart glasses and multi-functioning watches are two types of wearable technology available to warehousing and distribution workers today. Wearable tech is evolving and customizing to the needs of everyday users and employees in different industries. The use of these value-added services in the warehouse is growing rapidly as it drives performance improvements for companies by streamlining receiving, stocking, sorting, picking, shipping, and other labour-intensive tasks. Are wearables the right solution to your third-party (3PL) warehousing strategy? Here are some factors to consider.

More Agile and Location-Aware

Using wearable technology to integrate with your company’s warehouse management or inventory logistics system can provide huge benefits to employees, overall productivity, and costs savings. These include wearable scanners, voice picking technology, and headsets that issue voice commands. Employees can also communicate through the headset, which allows them to steer, load and offload items without stopping to scan data. Some systems allow for visual cues to be added to the workflow, such as smart glasses, which allow the wearer’s field of vision to assist with sorting and scanning. They display the quantity and type of item required, read barcodes, and identify the correct placement of each item. Smart watches can list potential voice commands or provide an image of the item to improve accuracy.

Multi-Modal Speech Solution

Multi-modal solutions such as hand-free mobile computers allow workers to fulfill their orders faster and more efficiently. These computers enable workers to scan barcodes and use touchscreen capabilities to enter and receive data more accurately than using hardcopy files. Workers can then handle more orders with less fatigue. The multi-modal system includes a wrist-worn computer, wireless headset, and a ring-style scanner, all of which work together wirelessly. Employees can have free hands to do their manual tasks without needing to constantly fiddle with the technology.

Wearable Technology: Three Key Points for Warehouses

Speed

Wearables reduce warehouse transaction times by making the process a fluid motion and leaving the hands and eyes free. Smart glasses can scan items for employees instantly, so they won’t need to waste time picking up a scanner, scanning, and putting down the scanner. Large distribution centres and manufacturing plants can save time on hundreds of transactions per day, increasing efficiency and providing monumental cost savings.

Accuracy

Some wearable tech can provide better accuracy than traditional barcode scanners. Ring scanners may provide the same results as handheld scanners, but the simplicity of the ring helps leave the hand free to work better. The level of accuracy depends upon the technology you are choosing—smart gasses are one of the more refined options as the technology is new and nearly limitless in its capabilities.

Safety

Since wearables reduce user fatigue, they require fewer repetitive motions and add to safety. Workers can keep their eyes on their task and use both hands for added control. Combined with sensors around the warehouse, wearable tech can also track worker locations and equipment or items that pose potential dangers. Voice-enabled wearables can alert forklift driver about the presence of a worker around the corner and prevent a collision in advance. Wearable tech not only provides information, it also collects it to identify and analyze patterns of workflow to inform management.

How Is Wearable Tech Shaping the Warehouse?

Wearable technology lets workers do their tasks freely without the constraints of computer workstations or scanners that set back the work flow. Incorporating multiple hands-free devices allows workers to follow real-time updates and instructions in their line of sight so they can work faster and smarter. Reducing error rates, keeping the workplace safer and more productive, and adding excitement and anticipation to the warehouse through modern technology will give you company an advantage in customer service and reputation over your competitors.

Streamline Your Logistics and Warehouse Management at Lean Supply Solutions

Lean Supply Solutions’ warehousing and distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver can help your warehouse management goals work better than ever before. Our third-party logistics order fulfillment company provides outsourced supply chain roles that streamline processes for better success. We live by the Lean Methodology, a proven philosophy focused on eliminating any operations, equipment, or resources that are not capable of adding value to clients’ supply chains. By striving to ensure that the right products are provided to the right customers at the right time, Lean Supply Solutions is able to offer consistent, accurate, and quality results. To learn more about outsourcing to Lean Supply Solutions or to ask any questions, contact us at 416-748-8982.

Proper packaging tips can help logistics companies avoid financial loss and reputation damage due to shipping damage, and customer returns on goods in the supply chain. Even if the cases are few, when customers receive their shipment cartons with incorrect labels, or poor packaging resulting in damaged products, it’s your company that will suffer the most in the end. If you’ve experienced problems like these, here are several helpful ways to improve your repackaging in the supply chain so that product return rates and item damage can be significantly reduced or eliminated.

Packaging Types to Consider

When choosing the right packaging and shipping materials, there are several factors to consider. Good packaging should have cushioning, water resistance, rigidity, and void-fillers, especially when transporting fragile items. Some examples include polybags, jiffy bags, and corrugated boxes for the exterior, and bubble wrap, brown paper, single-ply corrugated rolls, and air cushions for interior impact protection.

Packaging Tips to Secure Goods against Possible Damage

The following tips will help you prevent possible shipping and warehouse damage by securing your goods carefully and with the right materials and strategies.

Individual Packaging

When packaging individual goods in a box, it is important to limit the item’s exposure to cardboard dust. The carton will breakdown slightly during transit, which will leave flakes of dust on the item as it travels. Make sure the item is covered in some type of paper or plastic casing to the end-user or customer so it can be received in the best possible condition.

Inner Carton Packaging

Each item transported within one carton should be individually organized in boxes to minimize excess space and bouncing items during transit. This will prevent units from crashing into each other or shifting around in the carton. Padding such as foam, popcorn, craft paper, or air bags can be added inside the cartons to fill up the space. The less those goods move around, the better; however, be careful not to overstuff and cause the carton to buckle outward. Gently move the box in hand after packaging, and if you hear the items rattling or shifting too much, add more padding.

Master Carton Packaging

Make sure your master carton is corrugated and structurally strong to absorb the weight of other cartons if they are stacked, or in the event of a drop. There are specific guidelines fulfillment centres follow that decide how thick the carton walls should be depending on the items being shipped.

Package Closing Tips to Avoid Damage

It is vital to secure the box or padded envelope correctly to prevent it from opening during transportation. A simple solution is to use a tape gun to efficiently apply proper packing tape along the seal. Packing tape is strong, durable, wide, and waterproof, so nothing will get in the cracks of the carton seal.

Let Lean Supply Solutions Help You

If you’ve missed out on e-commerce cost savings due to damaged or lost items and customer returns, now is the time to change how your team is packaging products. There are several ways to improve this process, but solving the packaging problem is the first step.

By outsourcing your third-party logistics to Lean Supply Solutions, you will get expert and quality packaging, shipping, and handling that saves you money and improves your reputation with customers. Our team of experts can walk you through your supply chain processes and help you find the weak areas and bring you solutions to improve them.

We live by the Lean Methodology, which is a proven philosophy focused on eliminating any operations, equipment, or resources that are not capable of adding value to clients’ supply chains. We strive to make sure the right products are made available to the right customers at the right time, and we aspire to always offer consistent, accurate, and quality solutions. To learn more, contact us at 416-748-8982.

The order fulfillment process includes every step companies must take between receiving an order and the product being delivered into the hands of the customer. This process has multiple parts including e-commerce, inventory management, warehousing and distribution, and each piece of the puzzle must run smoothly for a cost-effective, timely, and satisfying experience for both the company and the customer. One way to improve your order fulfillment services is to boost your inventory solution. Here are some tested and true ways to make this happen.

Speed Up Your Order Fulfillment Process through Integration

By integrating your systems, you will benefit from added visibility into all aspects of your supply chain. These aspects may include demand forecasting, sales, inventory, and logistics. Integrating the sales order management system, the ERP system, which manages financial data, inventory systems, and logistics systems (picking, packing, and shipping) will help your entire fulfillment process will increase productivity.

Automate to Drive Order Fulfillment

One of the most effective ways to speed up order fulfillment is to automate your processes. This doesn’t mean investing in robots or conveyors—it simply refers to making use of software and technology to simplify and expedite activities such as inventory management. For example, using scanners to enter inventory into the computer system as it arrives or leaves the warehouse will help create a more accurate count for future orders. Smaller businesses don’t have to miss out either! There are mobile applications that can be downloaded on your tablet or smartphone, to inexpensively automate these actions. Even the most experienced data entry clerks make mistakes and with the constant flow of your fulfillment process, those errors increase to the hundreds and thousands. If you currently rely on manual inventory processes, you may want to automate your system to bring in accuracy, seamlessness, and the elimination of harmful mistakes such as keystroke errors or illegible handwriting.

Encourage Efficiency while Travelling

Travelling for tradeshows or buying appointments at showrooms can be time-consuming and frustrating if you can’t be around your warehouse. However, having the ability to track your inventory on a tablet or mobile phone will ease your stress and help you make wise decisions for your team. Through the use of special mobile applications, you can see which items are selling well and which items are sitting in the stock room. With this information at the touch of your fingertips, you can order the right items in the right quantities while you’re on the road.

How Lean Supply Solutions Can Speed Up Your Fulfillment Processes

If you’ve noticed setbacks in your distributed order management and want to find the best way to speed up your processes, Lean Supply Solutions can help you. Our team of experts can walk you through your supply chain processes and help you find the weak areas and bring you solutions to improve them. Productivity and speed in the fulfillment chain will increase your positive customer experience and help your employees work more efficiently. Our third-party logistics (3PL) order fulfillment services in Canada live by the Lean Methodology, which is a proven philosophy focused on eliminating any operations, equipment, or resources that are not capable of adding value to clients’ supply chains. We strive to make sure the right products are made available to the right customers at the right time, and we aspire to always offer consistent, accurate, and quality solutions. To learn more, contact us at 416-748-8982.

Automating supply chain management processes has been benefiting businesses as more of them switch to the technology-focused platform. When organizations do not switch to automation, they face the risk of falling into the direct procurement trap, which is a constant cycle of delay and setbacks that can damage a company’s current and future success. There are ways to avoid and deal with procurement challenges that already exist to avoid costly mistakes. Here are some important tips to be aware of.

Differences between Direct and Indirect Procurement

Indirect goods management software providers provide simple processes and reduced costs for purchasing and requisitioning operations; however, the value is limited in industries in which indirect spending is less than direct procurement spending. It is the act of buying services or supplies that is necessary to manage the daily activities of the supply chain. Without it, companies would be unable to operate affectively.

The direct procurement process is more complex than indirect procurement as it entails multinational suppliers, longer lead times, and a strong reliance on logistics services. It is the act of acquiring raw materials and goods for production in large amounts and frequently. It also requires lengthy and thorough collaboration—if the system fails, companies are unable to manufacture their products and gain revenue.

Ways to Avoid the Direct Procurement Trap

The direct procurement method requires special software that is more involved than indirect procurement. By automating this process, a single platform can manage the supply chain, enabling clarity and control of planning, logistics, and communication. Without direct procurement automation, the process can cause serious inefficiencies that hurt a business’s bottom line. Here are some ways to avoid the trap.

Streamline Logistics Services

Streamlining the extensive amount of data involved in logistics services ensures the supplier is packing, producing, and shipping orders correctly. It also ensures that all goods are delivered in the most efficient, secure, and compliant way as possible. The direct procurement move demands extensive connectivity and collaboration between multiple departments within an organization as well as the supply chain partners. Automating this process allows all parties to have full visibility into the forecasting process, target service levels, procurement collaboration process flow, and shipment processes.

Support a Global Supply Chain Environment

Being able to extend the business reach to the global market means companies must manage their procurement and sourcing procedures to match. An indirect order is sent directly to a company’s doorstep, but direct procurement requires delivering final goods to customers. This is a much more elaborate and time-sensitive activity. Automation helps manage the complexities that escalate across the geographical range of business partners.

Procurement Professionals Should Work with Stakeholders

Professionals managing the procurement process should team up with key stakeholders within their organization or company, such as the commercial or finance departments. This allows for mutual understanding of the latest process and the information required. It also makes the entire process more time- and resource-efficient.

Look to Lean Supply Solutions for Your Supply Chain Needs

If you want to learn more about direct procurement in SAP, Lean Supply Solutions has you covered. We are a third-party logistics (3PL) order fulfillment company in Toronto that believes in the Lean Methodology, a proven philosophy focused on eliminating any operations, equipment, or resources that are not capable of adding value to clients’ supply chains. We strive to make sure the right products are made available to the right customers at the right time, and we aspire to always offer consistent, accurate, and quality solutions. To learn more, contact us at 416-748-8982.

Reverse logistics has been around for a long time but has only recently become a more popular method of supply chain management. When compared to traditional logistics, it provides many benefits to businesses and adds value for customers. For those seeking more information about the benefits of a reverse logistics management program in comparison to forward logistics, here are some valuable points to consider.

Reverse Logistics

Reverse logistics encompasses recapturing the value of products, parts, and materials that have been returned from the end consumer in order to get them back into the marketplace as quickly as possible. Reverse logistics management usually involves returns, recalls, repairs and refurbishment, repackaging for restock or resale, recycling, and disposal. By optimizing logistics processes, companies can experience long-term benefits and reduce the percentage of their revenues spent on returns. If the reverse supply chain process is streamlined, businesses can maximize asset recovery rates and reduce costs. The different types of reverse logistics include:

• Movement of capital equipment and products to the next emergency response
• Removal of packaging and containers from the response area
• Destruction of spoiled food products and expired pharmaceuticals
• Return of rejected goods to suppliers
• Movement of extra or over-supplied products to other organizations.

Forward Logistics

Traditional or forward logistics deals with the flow of products from the factory to the consumer. The different types of forward supply chain management include direct order fulfillment, hub services, pick-and-pack services, and shipping. With forward logistics shipping, a sales forecast is used to project the requirement. When a certain amount of product is required, that quantity will be shipped to the distribution centre and then to the retail stores from there. At every level of this method of supply chain management, advanced shipping notices will assist the information as the products flow.

Benefits of Reverse vs. Forward Logistics

Reverse logistics, or “green logistics,” is growing in popularity as the better option between the two. Shippers do not initiate reverse logistics activity based on planning and decisions of the firm but in response to customer actions. Here are some ways reverse logistics are reaping benefits for businesses:

• Provides a second return on investment from the equipment
• Increases public perception due to its environmentally-friendly properties
• Encourages competition in manufacturing
• Reduces risks to the business by protecting data
• Increases product lifecycles, supply chain complexity, maintainable practices and consumer preferences
• Leads to productivity and growth
• Allows for added value from used or returned goods instead of wasting manpower, time, and costs of raw materials originally involved
• Improved customer satisfaction and loyalty by focusing on faulty goods and repairs.

Look to Lean Supply Solutions for Your Supply Chain Needs

If you want to learn more about the importance of reverse and forward logistics, Lean Supply Solutions has you covered. As a third-party logistics (3PL) order-fulfillment company in Toronto, we base our operations around the Lean Methodology, a proven philosophy focused on eliminating any operations, equipment, or resources that are not capable of adding value to clients’ supply chains. By striving to ensure that the right products are provided to the right customers at the right time, Lean Supply Solutions is able to offer consistent, accurate, and quality results.

To learn more about the Lean Methodology, outsourcing to Lean Supply Solutions, or to ask any questions, contact us at 416-748-8982.