Is your Warehouse cloud-enabled?

The Indian warehousing industry is in a state of robust growth at the advent of major MNCs spreading their wings in the Indian Subcontinent. Seeing the humongous growth, the industry needs to rethink not just strategizing the business but also in terms of becoming a differentiator. Only technology can make these warehouse world-class competitive, which requires them to upgrade and enhance the operations at an efficiency level. The businesses today are not just running on the quality of the product but on the service speed. Warehouse industry has been operating on the traditional frequency since a long time. Various aspect of its management has not been considered for technological updation like warehouse management system, warehouse security system, inventory management or supply chain management, due to which the warehouse business of India couldn’t touch the world class level.

Riding on Reforms

Riding high on the structural growth, Infrastructural reforms in the country, the industry is set to witness a transformative journey to technological advancement. Government, after providing the status of infrastructure to the warehouse industry has started attracting huge investments in the trade zones like FTWZs – Free Trade Warehouses Zones and the Logistics parks. The implementation of GST has made the industrial and warehouse security all the more in the need of tech-savvy, where the operations are no longer just the logistics and inventory management but also managing the huge data associated with the operations.

Few statistics

Let us have a look at the following statistics of the warehouse industry which itself reveals the futuristic trends which the warehouse industry will be witnessing in the near future.

• The Indian warehousing industry, estimated to be worth INR 561 Billion (excluding inventory carrying costs, which amount to another ~INR 4,340 billion) in 2017, is estimated to grow at 9.5% CAGR to reach INR 968 Billion by 2024.
• AS per the report by Gartner, 45 percent of the CRM market was cloud-based in 2013, while the overall supply chain management software market was 21 percent cloud in 2013.
• After the implementation of GST, the Indian warehousing and logistics sector is estimated to attract nearly 10 Billion USD investments over the next 4-5 years.
• With the addition of around 200 million sq. ft. warehousing space across India, total supply is expected to nearly double by 2022, estimated JLL India. It accounts for ~5% of the Indian logistics market (excluding inventory carrying costs, which amount to another ~30%).
• Currently, Cloud computing spending rate is growing at 4.5 times the rate of IT spending since 2009. [Source: Forbes]
• 6.5% of Warehouse Management System users have adopted the cloud. Figures are estimated to jump to 35.4% by 2020. [Source: Supply Chain Digest]
• 40 percent of the warehouse professionals in a particular survey expressed that they will move to cloud technology in the next three years. These were the professionals whose warehouses are not technology-enabled as of now.

Surveillance a cost

When we are talking of managing the warehouse operations, the first and the foremost remains the warehouse security management. The huge premise with thousands of tonnes of material can’t be the surveillance matter of tens of manpower. The security has to be vast, across and deep throughout the warehouse. The warehouse industry faces huge losses every year due to these non-controllable human factors. The safety, security, and surveillance of the warehouse can now be outsourced to the technology with warehouse security solutions and the advent of some wonderful advancements in cloud technology. The advanced IP Camera and surveillance sensors provided by IGZY – a Kochar Tech company give the long term reliable solution to the warehouse managers. The warehouse & logistics real-time surveillance technology is entirely cloud-based and data-driven. The warehouse security solutions industry has the best analytics by the simple principle of Sense, Act and Analyze. The theft, breakdowns, monitoring, real-time tracking all are available on the fingertips on any kind of media platform. The industry can now carefree focus on core operations and entirely leave the safety and surveillance of cloud technology.

Be it any kind of warehouse business- old, new or upcoming, everyone needs to come on the same page when it comes to technological up-gradation of traditional warehousing systems. We can’t ignore the benefits, the technology provides anymore.

Easier Upscaling

While you are fully efficient in managing the warehouse operations, it is time to expand the operations now. Scaling up is no longer that capital and human-intensive as traditional expansion. The investment is more software-oriented than infrastructure oriented. The Warehouse pays for SaaS and not the endless individual servers. Once you are software ready, you are business ready. The traditional CCTV camera for the warehouse is now replaced with the smart warehouse security solutions having cloud-based IOT security for the warehouse. No longer have you needed to pay for an entire technological team investment. The cloud-based unified server manages the entire operations seamlessly. The entire business can be integrated into cloud-based management.

Smart Analytics

The entire warehouse and its security are managed on the cloud. The long installations of multiple traditional CCTVs and its tedious maintenance are now a thing of the past.  The cloud analytics provides an exhaustive reporting of entire monitoring and operations. The data is stored on the cloud and accessible at any time anywhere. Everything right from accounting, warehouse records, inventory management all are managed by the data-driven analytics provided by the cloud server. The warehouse is no longer managed in the extensive excel sheets or on the premise-legacy system. Everything is turning smart and automated with technology in place. The on cloud-based warehouse security camera system can give you real-time tracking of the entire workforce and the issues related to it. Be it the health and the hygiene of the warehouse or the adherence of basic SOPs, all can be tracked real-time and monitored efficiently. The human guarding needs can be drastically reduced with constant tech monitoring. Be it the sales channels, inventory reports, financials associated with every shipment, incoming delivery, or warehouse transfer every tid and bit can be managed on cloud storage.

Low on investment

If we look in terms of surveillance of such a huge premise, manual guarding and energy efficiency can be a huge cost. This cost can be easily offset by warehouse surveillance. Right from night guarding to day monitoring –security surveillance can be easily outsourced to cloud-based E Guarding. In terms of reorganizing or setting up multiple branches of an existing warehouse, can be done in no time. No longer had the warehouse management needed to worry about setting up the new warehouse with a heavy infrastructural cost. Large capital layouts on hardware, software and licensing sucks up a huge cost that can be redirected to the other operations.

Theft- proof secure warehouse

IGZY’s Instance-based command center backed surveillance, allows for round-the-clock surveillance of the warehouse. Smart cameras and sensors give real-time alerts on line crossing, unauthorized entries while detecting employee activity throughout the day. A unified platform and interface for monitoring and auditing all facilities, using intelligent cameras and sensors. The entire data is also managed by expert professionals sitting at the command center ready to service the system at the click of the mouse. End to end support is provided right from installation to servicing for the smooth surveillance of the warehouse. There is no need for a separate tech team to be seated at the warehouse. Your warehouse is technologically enabled now with security surveillance for logistics.

Space Management

The smart focusing angles of the advance IP cameras can help the warehouse managers to stack the materials in a space-efficient manner. Once space is managed efficiently, it is as good as buying a new space. The warehouse planners have a smart tool in their hands having the data-driven analytical approach to solve their problem of stacking and spacing. IGZY’s 90-degree wide-angle camera cameras can provide data footage of any required duration up to the 90 days based on the plan subscribed by the user.

Major challenges in warehouse security

Most of these warehouses are located in the outskirts areas of the city where space is never a constraint in terms of availability and economically. Warehouse security breach remains a prominent issue even today for the warehouses. The warehouse management records uneven incidents of Break-ins, pilferage or theft in aloof areas where warehousing facilities are located. The warehouse faces huge cost involvements in terms of rising OPEX and maintenance costs for each such facility. Here comes the technology to the rescue and provides you the best solutions to come to a breakeven level of operating the costs; surveillance at least. Warehouse security solutions by IGZY keeps you worry-free in this case.

Better SOP and protocols adherence

Another challenge the warehouse security faces is the managing of the workforce activity as the warehouse are located remotely and monitoring can be hampered over the time SOP adherence and monitoring employee activity can easily be leveraged to the cloud-based technology provided by the smart surveillance system. Let the management know that the team deployed at the warehouse is cost-effective and target bound. The right monitoring ensures that safety and emergency protocols are followed, in addition to monitoring dress codes, attendance, and employee activity. The real-time tracking gets the real-time alerts on any deviation from standard procedures. Backed by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, a unified IoT platform provides 24×7 visibility. Let the employees adhere to the basics of professionalism by sticking to the prescribed dress code & ID card. Also, monitor from anywhere that all employees use proper safety gear for daily operations and handling of bulk material as long as they are in the warehouse.

Final words

Shift today the operations of traditional warehousing to modern-day cloud-based warehousing. Today, efficiency is the buzzword in the area of the warehouse business. Let us be technologically abled in a cutting edge competitive world-class business of warehouse, logistics, and management.

The end customer today demands to be on cloud 9 by your service. Are you ready for it?