Three Surprising Benefits of Inventory Automation

July 11th 2019 15:00:00 PM

Inventory automation receives a great deal of press attention lately, and with good reason: it’s the next big thing in the world of warehouse and distribution management. An automated inventory system helps employees pick, pack, ship, and restock with ease. Although you can probably imagine many benefits, these three may surprise you.

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1. Healthier Workers

Inventory automation and automated systems can reduce the number of steps it takes for workers to walk around a warehouse to find items. Although walking is, of course, healthy for anyone, for someone who stands on their feet eight or more hours a day carrying bulky, heavy, or off-balance loads, saving those steps is actually a very good thing. Automated inventory systems often guide workers to their next picking item through an automated map that charters their route through the warehouse. Computer systems use the fastest route to save time, but it can also save your workers’ legs, feet, and knees!

2. Fewer Mistakes

Imagine looking at printed picking slips all day as you push a cart or bin through a warehouse searching for items. That’s the old-fashioned way and it was prone to mistakes. Now think about inventory automation. Workers can call up orders on their tablets, scan the item out of inventory and into packing, and the system automatically updates. If the amount left on the shelf or in the bin runs low, a system alert sends the message up the line to restocking. It’s all automated so there are fewer mistakes—and happier customers who get what they ordered on time.

3. Cost Savings

Many distribution centers have had to eat the cost of mistakes. That could add up over the year as mistakes in picking led to expensive items shipped and returned. Now, with inventory automation, fewer mistakes leads to greater cost savings. Less returns, less handling of merchandise, and better order fulfillment and inventory management all helps reduce the expense of inventory management.

Would you like to explore more of the benefits of inventory automation? Contact Scanco today. We offer software to help businesses automate and manage their warehouses and distribution centers. Learn more and contact us online or call (330) 645-9959 to arrange your personal consultation with a Scanco Solutions Expert.