Ingenu Inc.™, has announced the availability of its Machine Network™ in Phoenix.
With a coverage area of more than 1,850 square miles, the network provides Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity to the sixth largest city in the United States, serving a population of over 3.1 million. (more…)
August 16, 2016
Posted by: Avadhoot Patil
The IoT genie is out of the bottle. It’s not going back in, and its promising to deliver on consumer desire: 24 billion IoT devices by 2020, $6 trillion spent on IoT solutions over the next five years, generating an estimated $13 trillion by 2525 – a digital ecosystem encompassing businesses, consumers and government at a global level. The next Industrial Revolution is in the post, writes Paul Simonet, the European strategic director of Anthem. (more…)
Posted by: George Malim
Among the highlights of this year’s M2M Summit in Dusseldorf, Germany (October 5-6) will be talks from Brigitte Zypries, Scott Amyx, and Eric Goodness, the M2M Alliance’s Academic Day, (more…)
August 15, 2016
Posted by: Avadhoot Patil
SOMFY has joined the ZigBee Alliance at the Promoter level and accepted a seat on its Board of Directors. (more…)
August 12, 2016
Posted by: Avadhoot Patil
From smart thermostats to fitness trackers the race is on for companies to put out the next big connected product. However, during this foundation stage it’s essential that the companies developing or selling IoT technologies don’t take shortcuts when it comes to security protocol and ensure that the products they are selling do not pose any risk to the user’s security, writes Thomas Fischer, the principal threat researcher at Digital Guardian. (more…)
August 10, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
The Internet of Things (IoT) could have profound implications on our everyday lives – including our everyday safety – but there needs to be much greater collaboration between vendors, partners and customers to make it a reality, writes Dermot O’Connell, the executive director and general manager for OEM Solutions at Dell EMEA. (more…)
August 5, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Finland-based Nokia has announced a new Smart Home solution that lets network operators quickly offer new services to existing residential customers seeking a digital home solution for the Internet of Things. (more…)
August 4, 2016
Posted by: Avadhoot Patil
Hacker is a dirty word. It conjures up images of someone locked in a dark basement coding into the night and unleashing digital horrors on the unsuspecting, writes Adrian Crawley, the regional director for Northern EMEA at Radware. (more…)
August 3, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
Homes, hospitals, shopping centres and department stores, airports, large manufacturing plants – all have a growing volume and variety of connected devices that rely on Wi-Fi to communicate and function, writes Areg Alimian, the senior director of solutions marketing at Ixia. (more…)
July 29, 2016
Posted by: George Malim
In the past, warehouse workers, otherwise known as pickers, would worth with lists and manually run a warehouse. This took pickers a long time to get shipments in order just and this laborious practice soon became outdated when digital advanced, writes Suzanne Vallance, who works for Ferrari Packaging, a wholesale packaging supplies company based in Scotland.
IoE practices in warehouses
Warehouses have started to use the Internet of Everything (IoE), robotic systems which makes the working day much more effective. IoE and voice picking have improved the efficiency of warehouse practices. Sensors can now even detect everything through a robotic system and businesses can check where their pallets are, whether that is in the warehouse or en route to the shipping dock.
Progressively, businesses are adapting to IoE technology and are connecting the different departments in their organisation. These warehouses, like new technology that we use every day, are called “smart warehouses” and have increased productivity across the board.
IoT and cloud software for business
Cloud software is continuing to develop and change security perceptions. Steve Banker from Forbes Online has stated that there are benefits of using IoT in warehouses and has highlighted how pickers are management are adjusting to the change: “Most well run warehouses have a Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) that depends upon bar code data. Warehouse floor level operations personnel and warehouse managers execute their tasks based upon this data.”
This is true, figures from 2015 have shown the growth of IoT in business, especially in the use of cloud technology:
Cloud software is hosted elsewhere, virtually and businesses manage their accounts by accessing the software over the internet. Organisations will be charged a cloud fee, however, this includes hosting services.
What is a voice picking cloud?
The main method of internet picking is through a voice picking cloud solution. This means organisations can host their information remotely.
This is beneficial as it means your business does not have to obtain, install or maintain servers. This will not only improve staff efficiency in the long run but it will cut costs. In-house IT hardware can be problematic when it comes to continual security and maintenance.
Argos is just one of the UK’s multichannel retailers that have moved away from paper trail picking. This has been beneficial to the company as they claim it has boosted staff productivity and accuracy.
Getting it right the first time is now more important than ever as the fast delivery pressure from the “Amazon effect” is hitting the retail business. Thankfully for Argos, its level of accuracy is going up and accuracy error rates have decreased from just over 1% to less than 0.3%.
By adopting a voice picking system a business will become more consistent. The paper trail has become outdated, therefore it may be worth businesses looking into business improvement across the board, especially in the operational side of businesses.
Operational vs technical in the warehouse
Remember, improving the technological side of your business is vital, but maintaining the operations section of it, is just as important.
Adopting cloud technology will allow for reduced operational costs, but it’s good practice not to reply on the cloud alone to protect your goods. Amazon uses the cloud to help protect against theft, by using a system that updates every thirty minutes, however for the SME traditional methods for protecting your stored items should not be disregarded. Invest in suitable packaging supplies that will act as a secondary dimension of protection for your goods.
IoT warehouse operations
Changing your business ethic can be risky, therefore it always worth trialling different methods of IoT. By using the internet to enhance your workplace it will not only encourage your employees to work harder but they will learn new, digital skills. The beauty of the internet is that is growing and it is never too late to change, you could see the benefits of IoT in your warehouse works in a matter of months.
July 27, 2016
Posted by: George Malim