Industry 4.0 and Logistics Center
In recent years, various connectivity technologies have emerged along the manufacturing and logistics value chain. The combination of digital and physical systems, known as Industry 4.0, is laying the groundwork for more closely connected technologies, affecting everything from product design and planning to supply chain and production. But in addition to product design and production processes, the technologies inherent in Industry 4.0 also affect how finished goods are handled, stored and distributed.
Industry 4.0 technologies allow warehouse facilities to adapt to major business changes. In recent years, instead of simply storing goods, we have found ways to allocate inventory at a higher rate, handle more products with the same storage facilities, and reduce overall costs. The new warehousing facility is called a logistics center, not a warehouse. They are an important part of the supply chain infrastructure and are gradually moving away from the impression of a cost center and into a strategic facility with a
competitive advantage. With the growing need to enhance custom production, shorten lead times, improve quality control, reduce labor costs and increase yields, adaptable advanced technologies are emerging to provide solutions to achieve these goals.
In the past, we have also applied advanced connection technology in logistics centers, but the scope of application is mostly limited to automation systems. These systems can increase material handling capacity, but the systems must be separated from workers for safety. And because of a lack of adaptability, these systems require a high degree of standardization of products and processes. The system’s lack of adaptability (or “intelligence”) means that a lot of setup and programming upfront is required to ensure proper functionality, as the system itself struggles to adapt to changing needs.
Industry 4.0 technology can pave the way for the sustainable development of logistics centers, allowing automated systems to adapt to their environment, complete tasks more efficiently, and achieve collaborative work between humans and systems. Inherent technologies for Industry 4.0 include low-cost sensors, computer vision, augmented reality, wearables, IoT, robotic grasping capabilities, human and robot safety, analytics, and high-performance computing. These technologies are currently being put into use, which can improve existing automation capabilities on the one hand, and create new intelligent automation functions on the other hand, helping to revolutionize the way logistics centers operate.
This paper examines the functional evolution of logistics centers and explores how to apply emerging Industry 4.0 technologies to build more flexible, efficient and adaptable logistics centers. Finally, we discuss the ways in which these new technologies will impact talent needs, business strategies, and data management in logistics centers.
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