robotics Archives - Supply Chain Game Changer™

Cutting Edge Warehouses! (Video)

Streamline your Entire Distribution Centre or Warehouse at One Time!

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that in 2017 total spending on logistics in the US rose to a record $1.5 trillion, up 6.2% from the year before. What’s more, the costs of warehousing, fulfillment and delivery are expected to keep rising in the upcoming year. This is why the biggest players in the market are investing in cutting edge warehouses and technology.

Here are 4 amazing examples of beautiful warehouse operations in which the latest technologies are helping ecommerce giants handle record volumes of parcels faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing!

The Guinness Book of World Records for 3D Printing!

Although additive manufacturing and 3D Printing for both plastic and metal materials has been around for years, the investment, developments, breadth of applications, adoption rate, and beneficial case studies are expanding at an extremely rapid rate.

New processes, materials, devices, design applications, are emerging every day. Now, there are cloud sites that store portfolios of designs, much like Pandora does for music. All of this is creating an amazing amount of opportunity creating more efficient supply chains, new product types, de-centralized manufacturing schemes, and easier approaches to mass-customization.

Technologies Reshaping the Digital Supply Chain!

Supply Chain Investment Challenges – Real and Imagined!

In our ongoing technologies series, we have concentrated on the Informational and analytical innovation applications which are reshaping digital supply chain technology as we know it. Namely Blockchain technology, IoT, ( The Internet of Things ), supply chain digitization and 3-D printing.

These technologies are the breakthrough supply chain software applications which are fueling supporting technologies, some of which we’re going to explore today.

So let’s examine some of the Digital Supply Chain applications that are more hardware based like drones, driver-less vehicles, robotics, smart glasses and augmented reality.

Disruptive Warehouse Technologies for Any Company!

Inside 4 Cutting Edge Warehouses! (Video)

No matter how big or small your operation and your company is you likely have the same disruptive pressures on your Warehouses and Distribution Centres.

Everyone, including those who are best in class, has the need to reduce costs, improve the speed and accuracy of order fulfillment and warehouse activities, optimize inventory, and provide sufficient capacity to support growth at your busiest times of the year.

The ability to leverage technology to help address those pressures is no longer just possible for large companies. The nature of the technology landscape brings those improvements within the reach of most everyone.

The 5 Big Benefits of the Digital Supply Chain!

Stand Out Digital Supply Chain Strategies!

What’s the core difference between today’s supply chain and benefits of the digital supply chain?

Look down at your desk. What do you see? If you see paper, pen, and a computer, you see the typical, modern supply chain. If asked, could you provide the latest information on your current automation, key performance indicators, data, use of IT applications, and finance government?

The chances are good that much of this information is stored digitally. However, you would probably need to look through some of the physical, tactile paperwork to find all of the information. Also, is the information stored only your computer or a server? Now, how long is that going to take you?

5 Seismic Shifts in Supply Chain Technology!

The Supply Chain Carbon Footprint Reduction Strategy! (Infographic)

Supply chain technology is seeing seismic shifts and changing rapidly as new, innovative solution providers leave traditional legacy players behind.

Tremors. Seismic shifts. In supply chain management technology there is a fault line separating new, innovative technology providers and traditional supply chain software providers, and the gap between them is growing.

The Digital Supply Chain Infographic!

Digital Supply Chain Overview! (Video)

Supply Chain 4.0 is the manifestation of the Digital Supply Chain of the future as enabled by many of the Disruptive Technologies that we all hear about every day. Here we review our Digital Supply Chain infographic.

Everyone is impacted by the advancement of technology in both their personal and professional lives. And that impact will only become more profound as time goes on.

The Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Robotics, Big Data, Advanced Analytics and more are terms represent the technological breakthroughs that are being made every day.

For those involved in Supply Chain there are deep impacts that are occurring, and that will continue enabled by the evolutionary and revolutionary change that is enabled by technology. Let’s look at the Digital Supply Chain infographic.

Augmented Reality (AR) is the Future of Supply Chain!

Augmented Reality (AR) is Set to Transform Retail and the Supply Chain!

Augmented Reality (AR) enables transformational change!

When I started in the distribution space, I was told “…business is simple…cases in, cases out.” Reports were on green bar paper and forklifts were everywhere. As the distribution space evolved, the reports became spreadsheets and forklifts remained very important as they are coupled with the latest and greatest automation.

Supply chain improvements over the last 15 years have been incremental at best. The advances we are making in the supply chain powered by Augmented Reality (AR) are going to be wildly disruptive. The supply chain community that leans into AR and gets it right will come out the clear winners for every perspective: simplicity, safety, quality and productivity.

The Expected Growth of Manufacturing Technology Investments!

4 Challenges in Starting and Sustaining a SIOP (S&OP) Business Process!

Manufacturing technology helps power forward the industry into areas it has never been before. It can also help cover every section of your manufacturing process that you could even think of.

This includes being able to accurately calculate the real manufacturing cost of our products (and meet customer cost reduction requirements), by measuring things like failures in production, repairs, products return from customers, scrap of products and components, and late deliveries of products to customers.

Manufacturing technology can also assist you with key issues that come about in your quality control process.

So are there any perceived downsides to a company investing in manufacturing technology? Should there be any hesitation to more technology investments?

Digital Supply Chain Overview! (Video)

Preparing Business for the Digital Supply Chain! Oracle Interviews Mike Mortson!

Here we provide the Digital Supply Chain Overview video for you. Supply Chain 4.0 is the manifestation of the Digital Supply Chain as enabled by the proliferation of Disruptive Technologies that are permeating every aspect of our lives.

The Digital Supply Chain Overview video, created and published at Supply Chain Game Changer, is focused on the Digital Supply Chain, or otherwise called Supply Chain 4.0, because of its profound impact in defining the Supply Chain of the Future!

What Are Some Lesser Known Facts About Industrial Robots?

Are Robotic Machines Causing a Loss of Jobs?

Robotics are precipitating the growth of automated production facilities, freeing human workers from dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks. As robot production has grown at breathtaking speed, costs have gone down, so technology is much more affordable, which is good news considering that manufacturing is looking at countless unfilled jobs.

It’s expected that robots will be fully represented in the production processes of the future. Robots are the central figures of Industry 4.0, and failure to adopt this technology will only cause organizations to be left behind, as their operations won’t be a match for those of their competitors.

These lesser-known facts about industrial robots will turn you into a hit with your friends.

Collaborative Robots: Making Manufacturing Jobs More Valuable

Industry 4.0 – Smart Manufacturing of the Future! (Infographic)

First, a “Prime Objective” of the Shasta EDC is job growth in the manufacturing and technology sectors, including the use of collaborative robots. This is our key focus. However, the recruitment, retention, and expansion of our companies is equally important.

There is obviously a symbiotic relationship between employer and employees. However, from time to time there are talent gaps that emerge and technologies that force us to rethink our approaches to business.

Data shows that the number of manufacturing jobs are declining, and the jobs that remain are shifting to a mixture of the traditional and tribal knowledge around manufacturing and a blend of technical knowledge that helps to augment current manufacturing with the practical application of emerging technologies.

The Control Tower – Is Yours Real or Smoke and Mirrors?

10 Supply Chain Investment Challenges – Real and Imagined!

The advancement of digital technology enables the real-time, intelligent management of the Supply Chain. This now means you need a Control Tower.

But any company’s Supply Chain can still involve tens of thousands of skus, thousands of bills of material, thousands of suppliers, hundreds of transportation vendors, dozens of manufacturing facilities and distribution centres, and numerous customers.

So even if you have a Digital Supply Chain how do you manage this complexity? The answer is that you need a Control Tower!

4 Pitfalls to Avoid When Selecting Supply Chain Technology!

Supply Chain Investment Challenges – Real and Imagined!

There are thousands of supply chain technology vendors in the market today, and many companies claim their system is the best-of-the-best.

How do you truly know which systems are the best, and what can you do to ensure the selected supply chain technology does not become a money pit for your organization?

The answers to these questions lie in understanding the top pitfalls to avoid when selecting systems and new technologies for use in your organization.

How to Optimize Your Factory for Industry 4.0!

Industry 4.0 – Smart Manufacturing of the Future! (Infographic)

Believe it or not, Industry 4.0 — the latest specialization for modern factories and manufacturing plants — does factor into design and and help optimize your factory layout. That is because digitization, or the current movement to connect and bring all equipment into modern times, absolutely influences design.

In essence, that is the heart of Industry 4.0, a complete synergy between operations, equipment, properties and, of course, the people who spend their time there. If 3.0 was about automation and boosting efficiency, this generation is about injecting the human touch back into the work environment, and that means accommodating such things from a design standpoint.