11 Technologies to Shape Smart Operations
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Jama Software is always on the lookout for news and content to benefit and inform our industry partners. As such, we’ve curated a series of articles that we found insightful. In this blog post, we share content sourced from Supply Chain Dive – 11 Technologies Shape Smart Warehouse Manufacturing – which was originally published on January 31, 2022 by Edwin Lopez.
11 Technologies to Shape Smart Operations
Smart technology has been around for well over a decade, but a look at recent survey data suggests the pace of change is picking up — particularly in warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
It’s a change that was happening pre-pandemic. But continued worker shortages and supply chain disruptions have accelerated technology adoption over the past two years, according to John Paxton, CEO of MHI.
For the past nine years, MHI has been surveying materials handling professionals and asking them how likely their facility is to implement a series of technologies. Each year, there are new adoption trends, shifts in use cases, and evidence some technologies may be more hype than ripe for use.
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11 technologies enter facilities, but adoption rates vary
% of survey respondents who said they are using the following technologies within facility operations.
“One thing we have learned over the past nine years we have been producing the MHI Annual Industry Report is that supply chains are becoming more and more a technology-driven industry,” Paxton said in an email.
Some technologies are on the fast-track with supply chains: cloud computing, AI and IoT come to mind. Others, like 3D printing or blockchain, are struggling to show a business case. Overall, Paxton said two factors — disruption and consumer demand — are driving the adoption of technology.
“What we expect to see over the next few years is really a revolution in the adoption of these technologies,” said Paxton.
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In an effort to keep supply chain managers up to date on the latest technology trends, Supply Chain Dive reached out to MHI for an in-depth look at adoption trends.
This story will be updated each year as new data is released by MHI. (The next report is expected in March 2022.) Take a look at the table above, and the charts and stories linked below, to dive deeper on the 2021 technology trends.
RELATED COVERAGE
Lower costs, improved products and increased comfort with sharing data is contributing to a rise in cloud applications.
Flexibility and human override must also be part of inventory and network optimization, as automating everything without oversight can leave companies in a lurch.
Advancements in identification technology help retail supply chains track inventory and shrink. Are visioning robots the next evolution?
Companies can’t stop at investments in IoT devices. They’ll also need a way to integrate and capitalize on the data.
Pretty soon, the technologies are going to be table stakes for supply chain operations, one executive said.
Demand forecasting and supply planning are among the top uses for the technology, but the upfront expense doesn’t make sense for every business.
Wearable technology offers a treasure trove of data for supply chain managers. But the question remains how to translate the data into decisions.
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