Warehousing in 2023: What can we expect?

Warehousing is a huge part of the logistics industry and ensuring they operate efficiently is key to the success and reliability of any business. Barnes has 50,000sq ft of warehouse space and we work hard to ensure that we can deliver for our clients to keep the supply chain moving.

It’s little wonder, therefore, that we see so many new trends and technologies emerging each year, designed to help warehouses run more smoothly and cost-effectively.

So, what trends can we expect to see in warehousing in 2023?

Sustainability

 Being environmentally-conscious is at the top of the agenda for any business this year and responsible warehouse practice must be at the forefront of any logistics business’ plans.

This year, many logistics companies will be looking to promote good environmental practice such as considering electric HGVs or avoiding CAZ (Clean Air Zones) on journeys.

There may also be greater scrutiny over the size and number of boxes manufactured so that waste can be kept to a minimum and we can limit our impact on the planet.

It’s also important that, as an industry, we look to minimise single-use plastic packaging in the supply chain and, instead seek out alternatives to damaging materials such as bubble wrap.

Cardboard shreddings from other parts of the logistics process are becoming a popular substitute for bubble wraps as a protective layer, which has also helped companies to save money.

 

Robotic automation

 The warehousing and logistics industry has arguably been slow to catch up with Amazon since it introduced automation to its warehouses back in 2012, but after 10 years of ogling, other businesses have slowly begun to embrace the technology.

Over the last few years, automation has been fast-tracked into warehousing here in the UK, in order to cope with the rapid rise of e-commerce, which was largely induced by Covid.

Though it has slowed a little since the relaxing of restrictions, online retail remains higher than pre-pandemic levels and automated processes help warehouses to cope with huge levels of orders.

Ultimately, more automation can help companies to meet consumer demand and the initial hesitation over the technology has given way to many businesses embracing it as a viable way to maximise efficiency.

Robotics will be likely one of the defining aspects of 2023 and over the next year, and beyond, it’s expected to form an even bigger part of warehousing.

 

Cloud computing

 Cloud computing is already beginning to redefine the way in which warehouse and logistics operations are managed and its proliferation in the industry is helping supply chains to become more efficient.

Having a centralised organisation point is also helping warehouse operatives to spot ways in which productivity can be boosted, which is why investment in the technology expected to accelerate in 2023.

Essentially, the important thing to note about this technology is that with a cloud-based warehouse management system, it simply becomes a lot easier to manage all the facets of logistics.

You can access data on stock levels and order processing from more than multiple devices which is particularly helpful in such a demanding market.

 

The rise of drones

 The last decade has seen the drone move from the realm of left-field gadget to a technological must-have for industries across the world.

Over the last few years, we’ve certainly seen a proliferation in drones, or UAVs as their known, in the logistics sector and that’s set to continue over the next year.

Their deployment in the warehouse has served to help to improve productivity and overall operational efficiency through their ability to quickly scan pallets.

While there are concerns over battery life, drone technology is constantly improving and its likely they’ll become ever-more important to warehouse operations.

 

For more insight on the logistics and warehousing industries, be sure to read our other blogs