How Innovation in Automation is Shaping the Supply Chain
- By Cory Levins
- 26 ene 2018
This is a guest post from Unleashed Software.
Unleashed Software is a powerful cloud-based inventory management tool that allows businesses to accurately manage their inventory in real-time. Unleashed allows you to easily and accurately track stock in real-time across various locations for visibility on all inventory management processes and transactions. With such dynamic inventory information, businesses are able to make better data-driven business decisions.
Technological advances in the supply chain marketplace are rapidly changing the ways in which operations are automated. However, in spite of this, the industry still faces challenges where processes are not automated — where there is still a large amount of people performing arduous, slow, manual tasks while trying to manage a complex web of interdependent parts.
This creates an opportunity for senior decision makers looking for next-level gains in efficiency to look at what is really going on in the supply chain market place.
Thus, we bring you: Enterprise Process Robotics.
Process robotics works by automating the entire supply chain from beginning to end. We are not just talking about individual tasks but connecting all the different sections of an operation together for seamless management. The adoption of software robotics allows senior decision makers to focus less time on day-to-day processes and more on driving value for the entire business.
The majority of good supply chain professionals already use tools to enhance efficiency, most of which focus on only one specific task. Due to the web of complexity that supply chain tasks inhabit, these tools can often become a burden to managers, often taking longer to audit rather than saving on time. Process robots are different from traditional automation tools in that they automate an entire business process, for example the supply chain, rather than being limited to individual tasks. Moreover, enterprise process robots remove the siloes between various individual processes and allow an entire process, such as managing procurement, shipping and warehousing, or inventory stock, to be managed in one centralized process.
This is effectively achieved by ‘teaching’ the software robot how a job is to be completed, which is called embedded process know-how. The first step is to create tasks that are completed on a job-by-job level, but coordinated as an entire unified process, allowing the web of interdependent parts to work in sync. For example, if the robotics solution detects that a warehouse is full due to a lack of inventory stock movement, it will automatically alert or halt procurement, adjust to a new storage location if one is available, or alert you that you need new storage for inventory stock.
The automation of tasks is a much more efficient and convenient method of managing a supply chain. However, managers may still want and need to be able to track and monitor individual actions and output. For this reason, many great automation solutions offer a comprehensive dashboard — a tool that supervisors and lead decision makers can use to monitor and track all activities with a bird’s eye view. Dashboards not only allow the instant identification of problems, but also provide the ability to see how these problems affect the rest of the supply chain. This allows managers to make executive decisions about them immediately. For example, if a temporary cessation of production happened, the robotic solution would alert a supervisor to the change. Then, with approval, the robotics could automatically increase purchasing from other suppliers, thereby shifting transport resources to overcome these areas. If an approval is not required, robots can be configured to replace that manual part of the work, as well.
Successful businesses of the future will be those that are able to adapt to accelerated changes in sourcing, production and distribution that are already happening today. They are agile and flexible enough to take advantage of new technologies.
With technological advances, automation can happen smoothly and effectively in the supply chain management process, allowing businesses to use their time in other areas to increase business profitability.
Unleashed Software is a powerful cloud-based inventory management tool that allows businesses to accurately manage their inventory in real-time. Unleashed allows you to easily and accurately track stock in real-time across various locations for visibility on all inventory management processes and transactions. With such dynamic inventory information, businesses are able to make better data-driven business decisions.
Technological advances in the supply chain marketplace are rapidly changing the ways in which operations are automated. However, in spite of this, the industry still faces challenges where processes are not automated — where there is still a large amount of people performing arduous, slow, manual tasks while trying to manage a complex web of interdependent parts.
This creates an opportunity for senior decision makers looking for next-level gains in efficiency to look at what is really going on in the supply chain market place.
Thus, we bring you: Enterprise Process Robotics.
1. What is process robotics?
Process robotics works by automating the entire supply chain from beginning to end. We are not just talking about individual tasks but connecting all the different sections of an operation together for seamless management. The adoption of software robotics allows senior decision makers to focus less time on day-to-day processes and more on driving value for the entire business.
2. How does robotization work?
The majority of good supply chain professionals already use tools to enhance efficiency, most of which focus on only one specific task. Due to the web of complexity that supply chain tasks inhabit, these tools can often become a burden to managers, often taking longer to audit rather than saving on time. Process robots are different from traditional automation tools in that they automate an entire business process, for example the supply chain, rather than being limited to individual tasks. Moreover, enterprise process robots remove the siloes between various individual processes and allow an entire process, such as managing procurement, shipping and warehousing, or inventory stock, to be managed in one centralized process.
3. How does automation use robotization?
This is effectively achieved by ‘teaching’ the software robot how a job is to be completed, which is called embedded process know-how. The first step is to create tasks that are completed on a job-by-job level, but coordinated as an entire unified process, allowing the web of interdependent parts to work in sync. For example, if the robotics solution detects that a warehouse is full due to a lack of inventory stock movement, it will automatically alert or halt procurement, adjust to a new storage location if one is available, or alert you that you need new storage for inventory stock.
4. How do dashboards create greater control?
The automation of tasks is a much more efficient and convenient method of managing a supply chain. However, managers may still want and need to be able to track and monitor individual actions and output. For this reason, many great automation solutions offer a comprehensive dashboard — a tool that supervisors and lead decision makers can use to monitor and track all activities with a bird’s eye view. Dashboards not only allow the instant identification of problems, but also provide the ability to see how these problems affect the rest of the supply chain. This allows managers to make executive decisions about them immediately. For example, if a temporary cessation of production happened, the robotic solution would alert a supervisor to the change. Then, with approval, the robotics could automatically increase purchasing from other suppliers, thereby shifting transport resources to overcome these areas. If an approval is not required, robots can be configured to replace that manual part of the work, as well.
Final thoughts:
Successful businesses of the future will be those that are able to adapt to accelerated changes in sourcing, production and distribution that are already happening today. They are agile and flexible enough to take advantage of new technologies.
With technological advances, automation can happen smoothly and effectively in the supply chain management process, allowing businesses to use their time in other areas to increase business profitability.
