With eCommerce sales forecasted to grow by more than 50% over the next four years, space pressures and the impact of increased transportation costs continue to squeeze the warehousing, distribution centres and third-party logistics (3PL) companies as they keep pace with demand. Creating the need for a more dynamic warehouse environment yet with less budget available to support expansion, instead, businesses must look for other ways to maximise the space already available to them.
To make further gains, more effort is being focused on how to get the most out of an existing space. Workflows and processes, layouts and use of technology are being scrutinised to unearth new areas of opportunity. Reviewing everything from the size of the racking to the width of the aisles, there is much innovation happening within this well-established sector that is known to run like clockwork.
For many years, technology has been a key focus in modernising the warehouse Mobilising workers with the adoption of mobile computers and mobile printers revolutionised working processes and has driven significant productivity and efficiency to cope with the demands of a busy industry. But what if you could mobilise whole operations such as the pick and pack process?
Those packing benches are cumbersome, rigid and take up huge space in the warehouse. If you could release this space to create more location bays and instead mobilise your pick and process, you would achieve the goal of creating more within the same space and deliver increased efficiency within your operations too. This is an idea made possible with the introduction of a mobile workstation.
A modern solution for today’s warehouse, Zebra’s enterprise-grade mobile workstations are designed to power a whole shift. Able to keep pace with 24/7 operations, they boast a long-life Lithium-Ion battery that includes a visual display and charge indicator. Taking less than one and a half hours to fully recharge, fewer mobile workstations are required to support warehouse operations versus older technology and energy consumption and running costs are also significantly lower.
The Zebra mobile workstation is either available with a standard specification or can be customised to create a bespoke solution that truly meets the individual needs of each warehousing and 3PL business.
As standard, you will find Standard features include:
Pen Mobile was the first Zebra partner to deploy a mobile workstation project here in the UK. With a mission to create an entirely wireless warehouse, we introduced leading 3PL, Advanced Supply Chain, to the Zebra solution. Instantly impressed by the short battery recharge time, the use of newer technology means lower energy consumption and reduced running costs.
Evaluating the standard specification workstation, we took the time to understand how even the smallest of details could make a big difference to Advanced Supply Chain to define their exact workstation design through a highly collaborative process. With the team’s input and the trial of the standard workstation, we were able to understand their needs much better.
Everything from the width of the aisle to the height range across colleagues was considered. Testing the demo workstation allowed them to properly assess what work surface height would be best for their team. Deciding to raise the height slightly, a tilting monitor was also added to ensure comfort for shorter team members.
We found ways to make ergonomic improvements based on the usage environment to best utilise the available space such as changes to the shape, workstation orientation and worksurface angle. To ensure maximum usability, a bin was required, and built-in shelves added extra storage for a tidier solution.
We even sourced specific rubber wheels to get the best performance for the floors and gave greater control by specifying which wheels should be swivel and which would be fixed castor wheels.
The final touch, the bespoke solution was brought together within a fully branded mobile workstation matched to Advanced Supply Chain’s colours and featuring their logo front and centre.
To learn more about Zebra Mobile Workstations and how they could support your business in creating a more flexible, dynamic and optimised warehouse that maximises the space available, contact the Pen Mobile team today. We’re experts in technology solutions that make a real impact to warehouses, distribution centres and 3PLs.