Businesses of all sizes, all over the world are thinking of ways to reduce their carbon footprint, run a greener supply chain, and prioritise sustainability in their supply chain to combat global warming as well as meet the demands of environmentally conscious customers.
This is crucial not just for the planet’s future, but also for commercial success, because customers are increasingly willing to deal with companies that use sustainable business practices. When it comes to warehouse and inventory management, adopting ecologically sustainable choices is critical to achieving supply chain sustainability. One of the most efficient ways to achieve this is by deploying warehouse management system (WMS) software. Here are 8 ways how a robust and reliable WMS may help your company minimize its carbon impact.
1. Run a paperless warehouse
The manufacturing process of paper for warehouse pickslips and reports has a detrimental effect on the environment. An immediate way to reduce your CO2 emissions is to implement a paperless policy in your warehouse operation. Not only can this help your business save money on printing costs, but by eliminating paper and adopting the use of Barcode Warehouse Management System, your business can achieve operational efficiency, leading to an effective and greener supply chain.
2. Reduce your carbon footprint by using cloud computing.
Another way to manage and achieve sustainability in your supply chain is to choose a cloud-based WMS system. Cloud computing data centers are purpose-built to scale and use energy efficiently, so they use fewer wattages of power to keep servers running and server cooling systems operational. In-addition, when you use a Cloud WMS, your data is protected against malware and viruses using the most recent industry best practices and cyber security patches. Through consolidation and better infrastructure, you are able to save power to operate servers on-premise and reduce energy costs for air conditioning to cool on-premise servers.
3. Optimizing your warehouse space
A robust Warehouse Management System helps your organization organize inventory to optimize the amount of space available, so you don’t have to move to larger facilities to expand your physical footprint. Instead of expanding into a new warehouse, you can optimise your warehouse space. A WMS with optimisation strategies and algorithms for putaway, storage, and picking will increase operational efficiency by assessing your warehouse to determine the most efficient use of floor space.
4. Data can help you reduce inventory waste
By monitoring inventory levels, businesses can better plan and predict demand in the supply chain. Through data, supply chains can provide reliable estimates for how much stock you will need for a particular timeframe. This means businesses are far less likely to end up overordering stock, which may eventually end up going to waste. A Warehouse Management System with Advance Analytics and Machine Learning capabilities will enable supply chains to fine tune algorithms to plan and predict consumer demand to optimise the supply chain and reduce wastage and costs.
5. Cut down on packaging waste
Businesses can also minimise unnecessary packaging wastage. Many 3PLs are providing value-added services for their clients in various parts of the supply chain. Labeling, packing, and repacking are common warehouse services required by brand owners in their warehouse. A solid WMS can assist you in configuring these requirements based on the brand owner, products, contract, delivery destination, inventory cube matrix, and packing and labeling instructions. Not only is your business able to generate invoices automatically for these value-added services, but your WMS will also provide accurate, real time packing instructions to the operator, thereby minimising packaging wastage.
6. Increased picking accuracy while using less fuel
With a good WMS, your business will experience accuracy in order picking and on-time shipments. This means that pick-to-ship time is shortened, reducing the need for unnecessary product searching or errors in picking. This also means that vehicles are able to be dispatched on time, reducing the chance of engine idling and reducing your carbon footprint.
7. Quicker deliveries with optimised vehicle loading
Your dispatches are able to deliver more inventory to more locations in a shorter time due to your WMS vehicle loading optimisation. By maximising every cubic space of every vehicle in your fleet, your WMS will give loading instructions to warehouse operators, taking into consideration the route and packing sequence for ease of unloading. This results in less time required for unloading and optimised deliveries.
8. Reduce your carbon footprint by implementing remote working
By implementing a Cloud-based WMS, your WMS administrators and office personnel are able to operate from anywhere they choose. Not only will these employees enjoy the flexibility of working remotely, but your supply chain can reduce carbon emissions from public transit. With a Cloud WMS, you are able to encourage remote working and allow employees to work from home once or twice a week, lowering your warehouse’s carbon footprint.
Every one of us can do our part for the environment and prioritise sustainability. Businesses who operate in warehouses are no exception. Not only is it good for our planet, but consumers today are more environmentally conscious and demand it from the products they choose and services they engage with. If your business is using a robust and reliable WMS, you should be able to experience the eco-friendly benefits, reduce your carbon footprint and achieve gains in sustainability for your business.
To enhance our readers’ understanding of sustainable supply chain management, we’ve included a link to an informative article by Best Fulfill. This article offers valuable insights into optimizing supply chain management for sustainability, and we believe it would be of great value to our readers. Interested readers can find the link to the article here: The Ultimate Guide to Supply Chain Management and How Your Business Will Gain From It
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