How RTLS Technology Improves Warehouse Operations’ Efficiency and Productivity

by Marketscale.com

March 22, 2021 .

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The era of automation is here, and it’s no longer a luxury to engage in elevated data collection and analysis – they are necessities for improving operational efficiency and productivity.

What if you could see the entirety of your facility at all times? That’s the kind of insight you need. Real-time location tracking – and the real-time location systems (RTLS) that enable it – empower that unmatched visibility and the ability to see and manage your moving world.

The Problems with a Lack of Insight into Your Operations

If you oversee teams in a warehouse, underground mine, or other industrial space, you know that you can’t be in multiple places at once. Without a system in place, it is impossible to have visibility into the entire operation or to track location data for later review.

You can’t see when employees are engaging in unsafe behavior, taking one too many breaks or not performing their jobs adequately. If a forklift driver is taking a lengthy, repeated route across your facility that is far from the most efficient one, how will you know?

A lack of visibility can also make it difficult to find and track assets and inventory, challenging to understand how to lock in on the correct number of employees for any given scenario, and more.

Again, you need a solution that can give you the ability to see into the entirety of your operations at any given moment. That’s the only way to drive improvements in operational efficiency and productivity.

Gaining Insight, Efficiency and Productivity with RTLS Solutions

Today’s cutting-edge RTLS solutions are the answer.

These systems combine the connectivity of the Internet of Things with real-time location systems to connect vehicles, personnel and your facility, delivering that unprecedented visibility you need to keep up.

RTLS systems enable you to:

– See attendance, activity time, and distance traveled via real-time zone information and activity reports

– Easily view paperless timesheets, attendance data and other productivity metrics

– Engage in evolving vehicle capabilities that help drivers optimize routes, identify idle time, adhere to safety regulations and more

– Automatically notify operators and pedestrians of the presence of equipment to minimize accidents

– Have full visibility into the movement of both stock and equipment to streamline processes

Ultra-Wideband, or UWB, tags maintain accuracy even in the most complex environments, and those tags are unlimited, meaning your ability to scale alongside your growth is unlimited, as well.

Low latency gives you even more control and allows you to respond quickly to issues that arise, even when servers are disconnected. Anchors form a mesh network to deliver that powerful connectivity, and the system integrates easily with third-party platforms.

In fact, an open API platform make it easy to integrate RTLS solutions with your existing warehouse management systems, vehicles and external sensor data.

The Benefits of RTLS Solutions Beyond Operational Efficiency and Productivity

RTLS solutions also bring a variety of added benefits to your operation, particularly in terms of the safety of your environment.

The aforementioned collision avoidance capabilities keep your operators on time and safe, while tags on your employees, themselves can help you monitor their adherence to best practices.

For example, robust geo-fencing capabilities can create safe zones that automatically alert operators to the potential presence of pedestrians, and UWB tags can give you insight into violations of preventative measures like social distancing, which will continue to be imperative to efficient operations during this period of reopening.