Ulaştırma ve Lojistik Kongreleri

Smart Warehouse Management Systems in Industry 4.0 Era

Dursun Balkan
Doç. Dr., Türk Hava Kurumu Üniversitesi, Ankara, Türkiye

Göknur Arzu Akyüz
Doç. Dr., Türk Hava Kurumu Üniversitesi, Ankara, Türkiye

Today’s Industry 4.0 era witnesses a radical revolution in conventional warehouse management systems. Multiple technologies converge to reengineer warehouse management processes and infrastructures. This study provides a broad overview for a range of technologies serving increased smartness in warehouse management to put forward the benefits from logistics and supply chain perspective. Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), automated guided vehicles, autonomous vehicles, shuttle-based storage and retrieval system (SBS/RS), smart identification technologies (RFID, biometric access, voice recognition technology (VRT)), wearable technologies (smart glasses, voice headsets, smart gloves, smart watches), sensor technologies, 5G, mobile devices, automated picking and packaging tools, smart packaging, collaborative robots (COBOTS), blockchain technology, drone technology, are identified as the main components of the smart warehouse systems. All these components and cyber-physical systems are networked within IoT philosophy. Findings revealed that multitude of benefits accrue from this integration, leading to significant competitive advantages. Minimum manual intervention, enhanced productivity, process automation, integrity and connectivity across all warehouse processes (receiving, picking, packing, storage, retrieval, dispatching, returns) are ensured for automated, accurate and responsive order fulfillment cycle. Consequently, classical warehouse management systems are no longer competitive and productive in IoT era and they are gradually being reformed with all these technological components.

Keywords: Internet of Things, Smart Warehouse Systems, Industry 4.0