DECEMBER 20208 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSIN MY OPINIONIoT: Enabling The Safer, Connected Warehouse By Steve Walker, Chief Information Officer & Chief Operating Officer, DHL Supply Chain Asia PacificOf the disruptive technologies that are changing the face of the logistics industry, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been one of the most talked about because of the promise it brings of providing visibility and unlocking value for customers. While that value is starting to be delivered, at DHL we believe there is much more to come and we're therefore developing a common IoT platform across the Group to exploit the possibilities. Today we are seeing a fourth industrial revolution­one that has been coined `Industry 4.0'-which is built around the use of automation and data connectivity in manufacturing technologies. This combination of trends and new technologies is changing the way that nearly all goods are made-with clear knock-on effects for supply chains everywhere.At DHL part of our response to Industry 4.0 has been to embed an agenda of digitalization in the business. We aim to maintain our leadership of the logistics industry by delivering innovative, cost-efficient solutions for our customers. In our operations in the Asia Pacific region, the Internet of Things is one of the focus trends that we're working on.Transforming 3PL decision-makingThe Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to connect virtually anything to the Internet and accelerate data-driven logistics. Everyday objects can now send, receive, process, and store information, and therefore actively participate in self-steering, event-driven logistics processes.Connected warehouses can increase the transparency and localization of all assets through the tagging of individual items, pallets, and operational hardware.These smart objects can transmit information about their current order, content, and location, enabling automated inventory management with real-time visibility on inventory levels and item conditions.In recent years, as sensor and analytics technology have dropped in price and are becoming more embedded throughout logistics businesses, companies have begun to enjoy unprecedented visibility into operations, enabling new sources of value. This visibility, in turn, is transforming how logistics providers make decisions, including about how goods are stored, monitored, routed, serviced, and delivered to customers, as well as operational health and safety practices.Warehouse safety improvement The promise of delivering a safety improvement was what led us to first conduct a proof of concept in our Advanced Regional Centre in Singapore, and explore how we could operate IoT within a warehouse environment. Through the use of wearables, we aimed to track employees as they moved
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