A massive difference exists between fully automated and manual warehouses. You only have to put your foot in the door of a fully automated warehouse and you will know that you are about to enter an era of innovation, technology and automation. For the most part, fully automated warehouses are found in first world countries. However, global retailers host fully automated warehouses in third world and developing countries, thereby urging supply chains around them to succumb to automation and ensure a resultant increase in efficiency.
While warehouse software will also have a role to play in warehouse management, one has to wonder how the role of human skills will change in future? A fully automated warehouse requires minimum manual labour, especially on the warehouse floor, but rather requires technically-oriented individuals to manage machinery, ensure accurate data is reflected and that all warehouse software systems are integrated.
So where does Warehouse Software leave humans?
Before Microsoft became a billion dollar word people were used to doing things manually. In fact, if you could go back forty years in time and tell people that you would be able to order groceries over a thing that looks like a tv and have it delivered to your door within 24 hours, they would probably laugh at you. So what does that mean for the future? If we advanced this much within the space of forty years, what will we do within the next 40 years?
One only needs to look at Google to grasp the extent of innovation that is constantly thriving around us. Be as that may, one also needs to look at third world countries to realise the degree of technological intervention still needed. And with technological intervention comes a whole new set of challenges, mainly, environmental challenges.
As we advance, we greatly increase efficiency. However, an increase in efficiency means increased resource use and misuse. Therefore, software developers, engineers and entrepreneurs are constantly looking at ways in which full efficiency and environment friendly practices can go hand-in-hand.
So where does warehouse software leave humans? In a pretty good spot. We are the puppet masters that pull the strings of automation. In addition, we are also guiding the future of the earth and need to do so responsibly. It is up to the innovators of logistics software solutions to ensure that technological innovation goes hand in hand with environmental responsibility.
In future, we need to ensure that environmental responsibility brings forth just as much innovation as technology.