There's no shortage of problems and pain points in the supply chain. From raw material to last-mile, the increasing demand for speed and optimization is causing many managers headaches. Bluetooth Beacons are already making a difference to several businesses.
Here's how beacons can solve some of the most common problems in the supply chain.
Pallets, containers, lids, and the like are a common tool in the supply chain. They're constantly moving and changing hands. The result? One common and awful warehouse problem: a lot of lost resources. Deloitte, as cited in DHL Supply Chain Insights, had several findings on the topic:
Solution:
Pallet tracking (read more about Bluetooth in pallet tracking). By tracking the movement of pallets either with disposable or long-lasting tags, owners can know when and where pallets go missing. This can even be paired with automated messages or other actions in order to take human error out of the equation completely.
Storage is another crucial part of warehousing. However, despite being important, it's also very difficult to manage. Instead of storing in the most practical space, businesses are left storing predefined places that don't always make sense. Bluetooth offers the chance to better track assets, meaning they can be stored wherever it is practical--and easily found when needed.
Solution:
Asset tracking and navigation. Bluetooth tags make a warehouse digital and smart. That means, workers and managers can find packages with ease no matter where they've been placed. Whether these packages are stored with other customers' goods or in an unusual back corner, they'll be found. That means storing packages wherever it's practical.
Supply chain management has been a crucial part of business operations for decades. After years of business as usual, businesses are finally able to recognize and quantify poor business practices. Exactly how much time is spent on which forklift? Where are packages spending the most time? These are questions that need exact answers.
Solution:
Data generation and analysis. Where are errors occurring? This is one logistics and warehouse problem nearly every manager will face. Long and short-term studies of your operations can reveal data points you wouldn't possibly know otherwise.
No amount of meetings and reviews can make up for poor oversight. By tracking assets, operators can find bottlenecks wasting time and inefficiencies using up resources. Most importantly, this isn't just a matter of a few hundred dollars wasted on inefficiency. One study from PWC suggests that 10% to 30% increase in efficiency in the EU logistics sector could power €100-300 billion in cost savings for European industry.
Solution:
Asset tracking (read more on asset tracking). Where are your assets when you need? Simply attaching Bluetooth tags to equipment or employees can support a powerful asset tracking system that gives operators complete oversight of what's happening.
Pharmaceuticals, foods, and other sensitive assets require proper temperature tracking. This is a relatively simple problem that can lead to unnecessarily complicated solutions. Employees must manually check numbers or regularly move sensors, adding only more chances for error. Bluetooth beacons with sensors are now stepping in to automate the process.
Solution:
End-to-end cold chain (read more on cold chain logistics). Handling sensitive goods requires careful monitoring not just for legal but financial reasons. When your temperature-sensitive assets go bad, that could hundreds or hundreds of thousands of dollars right out the door. That's why cost-effective and easy-to-use Bluetooth tags are now being used to track and verify temperatures of items transported via the cold chain.
Simply losing numerous assets to theft should be unacceptable. There are already enough problems in the supply chain, and operators should be confident that their assets are being cared for.
Solution:
Entry access control. Supply chain managers often keep many expensive eggs in one warehouse basket. Now Bluetooth beacons or tags can be used to automate access control. That means an added layer of security and also the chance the trigger new kinds of alarms should assets be moved outside of set parameters.
As operations grow and become more complex, managing workers also becomes more complex. According to one report, the importance of managing an efficient logistics workforce is now more important for 68% of operations (68%) Fortunately, tracking with beacons and Bluetooth tags makes this easier and more automated than ever before.
source: Labor Strategies in the Warehouse Report
Solution:
People tracking (read more on employee monitoring solution) Keeping track of employee movements is one thing. Making sure an entire labor force is optimized is another. By tracking their general movements, Bluetooth can help operators know when and how their workers move, leading to greater efficiency and performance.
Maintenance is important. It's a regular and recurring cost of business. However, there are numerous inefficiencies in the way businesses manage this. By not fully understanding the wear on assets, operators will find themselves wasting time with unplanned or unnecessary maintenance.
Solution:
Sensor data for better predictive maintenance.
Predicting maintenance needs isn't always an exact science. By tracking assets, operators can better visualize wear and tear and know when maintenance should be scheduled for optimum efficiency.
Be sure to also check what is supply chain management with IoT.
Want to discover more Bluetooth use cases in the Supply Chain? Make sure to check out our complete guide.
Learn how smart hospital solutions are delivering greater efficiencies, better clinical
outcomes, and higher patient satisfaction to all sizes of hospitals & healthcare facilities.
Turn your workspace into a modern one with Kontakt.io spatial intelligence solutions.
Learn how we can help improve employee experience, decrease carbon footprint, and
help you understand how your space is utilized in a SIMPLE & AFFORDABLE way.