Welcome to the webinar rundown, Warehouse Modernization: Why it’s a Priority for your SMB’s Future and Growth. In this webinar, Bob Conti, President of Imprint Enterprises, and Amanda Honig, Regional Portfolio Manager, Enterprise Mobile Computing for Zebra Technologies, provide information on modernizing warehouses for SMB’s.
Read on for highlights of the topics addressed in this webinar replay or go directly to Warehouse Modernization: Why it’s a Priority for your SMB’s Future and Growth to watch the replay.
E-Commerce Trends Inspire a New Way Forward
Zebra is always working on greater technologies that help improve productivity for SMB’s. With the continual rise in e-commerce demands, warehouse modernization provides a solution that can grow with your SMB into the future.
Amanda provides detail on the top challenges due to increased e-commerce demands:
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- Faster delivery to end customers
- Increased transportation costs
- Inventory accuracy and visibility
- Shorter order lead times
- Unpredictable consumer demand
- Complexity of omnichannel logistics
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Top Transportation & Logistics Priorities
T&L providers are focusing on optimizing delivery from the first mile to the last. Most priorities can be categorized under operational efficiency, worker enablement, and customer experience. Out of those three categories, Amanda discusses the top five priorities:
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- Last mile costs
- Errors and misloads from manual scans
- Real-time inventory visibility
- Mobile workforce productivity
- Recruit/retain skilled workers
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A Changing Workforce
Obtaining, training, and retaining labor is a critical issue. Technology has increased in importance and workers will leave over poor technological integration. Younger generations expect the technology make their work easier, not harder.
Amanda discusses how technology has been a catalyst for change in warehouse management:
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- Ease of use of software and hardware
- Technological attractiveness
- Modernization vs outdated/no technology
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Operating with Precision
The need to operate faster because of faster service level agreements requires precision. Observing operations in a warehouse at each stage of a process can uncover the reasons why speed is being hindered. Amanda provides greater detail of some of the challenges at each stage of a warehouse process:
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- Inbound
- Inventory control
- Outbound
- Shipping
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Warehouse Value Drivers & Modernization
Value drivers are those areas that help improve warehouse operations. Amanda discusses the three main drivers which modernization can help improve:
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- Worker Enablement
- Asset and Inventory Visibility
- Optimized Customer Experience
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Zebra Warehouse Solutions
Zebra researches the common problem areas to develop technology that can help improve warehouse efficiency and productivity. Zebra’s solutions help enhance mobility, visibility, accuracy, and automation. Amanda discusses some of the solutions provided by Zebra:
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- Handheld mobile devices
- Hands-free devices
- Ultra-rugged devices
- Vehicle-mount computers
- Industrial barcode label printers
- Desktop barcode label printers
- Mobile barcode label printers
- Automatic mobile robots (AMRs)
- Sensor Technologies
- RFID Solutions
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Zebra’s Warehouse Maturity Model Framework
Getting started with warehouse modernization can seem overwhelming, trying to figure out how and when to adopt technologies. Zebra has a step-by-step tool to help minimize confusion while achieving modernization goals and future planning. Amanda describes the process of using the Warehouse Maturity Model:
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- 5 phases of action
- Analysis phases
- 5 phases of sensing future needs
- Achieving predictive & adaptive operations
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Webinar Wrap-Up
From data capture to data-driven decisions, 82% of warehouse operators and IT leaders plan on investing in software for automating analytics and decision-making by 2025. Zebra Technologies and Imprint Enterprises have the tools, knowledge, and expertise to help you move forward with the future of mobile printing technology.
Bob and Amanda complete the webinar by answering the following questions:
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- Where are you seeing the biggest impact or ROI in the scope of modernization, the incoming phase, mobility phase, or the outbound phase?
- What part of the modernization and solutions that Zebra provides can help to enhance employee workload?
- How does visibility, as a component of the warehouse of the future, feed into applications to help with the predictive decision-making and can the data be utilized in the future?
- How are AMRs being used in the SMB space and do you think it is a game changer?
- Bob, do you have any examples where a SMB was thinking about modernization and Imprint helped them realize the difference modernization could make?
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Watch the Webinar Replay
Technology is the future and it’s already here Incorporating technology increases visibility within your facility, enhances efficiency and effectiveness, and can reduce unnecessary steps. Zebra has good, better, and best options to match your budget and your company needs. Zebra knows and understands that warehouse modernization is an asset to your SMB.
With 32 years of experience and product knowledge, Imprint Enterprises is a Premiere Solution Partner with Zebra Technologies. Imprint is an industry-leading provider of barcode printers, scanners, verifiers, software, RFID, labeling, warehouse labeling systems, as well as repair and maintenance solutions.
Watch the webinar replay, Warehouse Modernization: Why it’s a Priority for your SMB’s Future and Growth. The experts are there to help you and your SMB. If you have questions, Contact Imprint Enterprises today.
