Eventually, customers can track parcels themselves with the company s website. The software can analyze and sequence incoming orders for maximum efficiency. Designed specifically for distribution centers where workers need free hands, the system works by instructing the employee where to go and how many items to pick up. Retail and wholesale grocery and pharmaceutical product warehouses have already adopted the system. A decade from now, these tags could be attached to every manufactured item and tracked by a network of millions of readers in factories, trucks, warehouses and even homes.
Location matters Several strategies apply when it comes to finding a location for a wired warehouse.
It really depends on the types of goods that are being moved, Fries says. We re seeing over the last five years a starkly unprecedented increase in growth of air freight, Fries adds. The demand for space has significantly increased as time-critical deliveries have become much more important. Another strategy is selecting central locations with strong infrastructure. She says the wave of the future for certain types of e-tailers may be bypassing a warehouse altogether for online purchases.