Real estate advisor JJL has published a report that features four trends that will affect the future operation of warehouses. These trends are:
1. Labour
Though the world population is growing, in some countries, it is expected that the working-age population will decline, which will make it more difficult to recruit warehouse staff. Robots may replace some warehouse workers, but highly skilled workers will still be in demand. The most likely scenario is that humans will work alongside robots.
2. Technology
During the COVID-19 pandemic, online sales have increased. To deal with the pressure on processing orders quickly and accurately, better technology is required. JJL predicts that artificial intelligence and smart devices will have an increasing role in warehouses operations.
3. Urbanisation
More people want to live in cities and urban areas, and this has led to companies opening warehouses in cities to save on delivery costs and making order delivery times quicker.
4. Sustainability
The government has a net-zero carbon target by 2050. Transport is the main source of carbon emissions in the supply chain, and there is pressure on companies to decarbonise. For short journeys from city warehouses, electric vehicles can be used. Net-zero warehouse designs are also being developed that use alternative energy.
A warehouse storage trolley supplier and manufacturer needs lots of tubular steel, and steel manufacturers have developed processes that use less carbon to produce this steel. There are also many recycling schemes that process scrap steel so that it can be used to make new tubular steel for warehouse racks, tables and trolleys.
You may also interested in:
How real-time visibility is transforming warehouse operations
Real-time visibility in the warehouse is the continuous tracking of assets, inventory, and operations, and is thought to be
Wigan warehouse poses potential shift in logistics strategy
The recent sale of a 322,000-square-foot Wigan warehouse in the Wheatlea Industrial Estate could signal a shift in the UK logistics industry away from huge warehouses towards smaller