Warehouse Tech for Gen Z Workforce

Distribution centre technology provider Lucas Systems announced today its rollout of new technologies promising productivity, comfort and ease of use to a Gen Z warehouse workforce of the future.

The technologies – built to serve the new “iGeneration” of workers born between 1997 and 2012 – promise reduction of worker stress, a less physically-taxing work experience, and help for on-floor supervisors by providing the tools needed to be more agile. New technologies include:

• An all-new supervisor management console which provides leadership with a high degree of flexibility and agility to customize data, dashboards, and analytics specific to their operation and needs. Supervisors and managers can get actionable information in a way that’s easy to understand and use through fully-customizable consoles.

• Improvements in reducing worker travel. Lucas Systems new algorithms and machine learning smarts help workers take up to 50% less steps inside the warehouse by showing them the optimal path to navigate. This is relief to physically-stressed on-floor workers as they can often walk 5-10 miles in just one day.

• Ability for on-floor workers to use the smallest wearables for scanning. Lucas Systems certified its voice-enabled optimization suite, Jennifer, to run on a Zebra WS50, the world’s smallest all-in-one Android enterprise-class wearable mobile computer.

These solutions and other insights around technology training, warehouse environments and new methods for division of labour resulted from Lucas Systems in-depth interviews with warehouse workers as well as a commissioned study, polling 500 U.S. warehouse workers nationwide. The research examined workers’ relationships with technology as well as their fears, expectations, and perceptions about their daily jobs.

Additional insights were released today in Lucas Systems guide, Competing for The Warehouse Workforce of the Future, along with recommendations for attracting and retaining a future workforce with unique attitudes around loyalty, work-life balance and workplace satisfaction. One insight is that a majority of Gen Z workers (73%) say robots will help them achieve greater accuracy and speed in their jobs.

“These are all signs that tomorrow’s warehouses will need to operate differently than they do today,” says Lucas Systems CMO Ken Ramoutar. “Gen Z workers expect to use modern technologies like they use at home. Handheld and personalized, tech must be easy to use and must help them save time and mitigate exertion.”

Ramoutar says Lucas Systems recent tech advancements and its research insights offer a warning shot to warehouse operators who aren’t willing to adapt and change.

Warehouse Tech for Gen Z Workforce

Distribution centre technology provider Lucas Systems announced today its rollout of new technologies promising productivity, comfort and ease of use to a Gen Z warehouse workforce of the future.

The technologies – built to serve the new “iGeneration” of workers born between 1997 and 2012 – promise reduction of worker stress, a less physically-taxing work experience, and help for on-floor supervisors by providing the tools needed to be more agile. New technologies include:

• An all-new supervisor management console which provides leadership with a high degree of flexibility and agility to customize data, dashboards, and analytics specific to their operation and needs. Supervisors and managers can get actionable information in a way that’s easy to understand and use through fully-customizable consoles.

• Improvements in reducing worker travel. Lucas Systems new algorithms and machine learning smarts help workers take up to 50% less steps inside the warehouse by showing them the optimal path to navigate. This is relief to physically-stressed on-floor workers as they can often walk 5-10 miles in just one day.

• Ability for on-floor workers to use the smallest wearables for scanning. Lucas Systems certified its voice-enabled optimization suite, Jennifer, to run on a Zebra WS50, the world’s smallest all-in-one Android enterprise-class wearable mobile computer.

These solutions and other insights around technology training, warehouse environments and new methods for division of labour resulted from Lucas Systems in-depth interviews with warehouse workers as well as a commissioned study, polling 500 U.S. warehouse workers nationwide. The research examined workers’ relationships with technology as well as their fears, expectations, and perceptions about their daily jobs.

Additional insights were released today in Lucas Systems guide, Competing for The Warehouse Workforce of the Future, along with recommendations for attracting and retaining a future workforce with unique attitudes around loyalty, work-life balance and workplace satisfaction. One insight is that a majority of Gen Z workers (73%) say robots will help them achieve greater accuracy and speed in their jobs.

“These are all signs that tomorrow’s warehouses will need to operate differently than they do today,” says Lucas Systems CMO Ken Ramoutar. “Gen Z workers expect to use modern technologies like they use at home. Handheld and personalized, tech must be easy to use and must help them save time and mitigate exertion.”

Ramoutar says Lucas Systems recent tech advancements and its research insights offer a warning shot to warehouse operators who aren’t willing to adapt and change.

Mezzanine Floors Help Warehouses Save

Mezzanine floors aren’t just a great space saving tool, they’re also money savers that are sure to help your business in the long run. Alfa Industrial, a leading engineering solutions provider, told us how you can save money by building a new floor within your warehouse.

Energy saving
Mezzanine floors are placed high off the ground. As you heat your warehouse during the winter, the warmth will rise to the top, making your mezzanine floor the perfect place for an office, meeting room or staff room.

Having a mezzanine floor also means you will have a smaller area of space to heat, as opposed to having multiple rooms, allowing you to save a considerable amount on energy bills.

No need to expand your facilities
By expanding your warehouse space through traditional means (building extra rooms or relocating) you will spend a large sum of money that you can otherwise avoid with a new mezzanine floor. These systems provide a solution to your lack of space by allowing you to expand your warehouse for a much cheaper price.

Less time shutting down operations
Mezzanine floors can be built in as little time as one day, allowing you to shut down your operations for only the minimal amount of time possible. This will ensure that you only lose a minimal amount of revenue from the shut down of your facility.

Dismountable
Avoid spending money on sizing down on your equipment with a mezzanine floor! Mezzanine floors can be dismounted and built again, allowing you to move your infrastructure anywhere your business takes you next. This permanent expansion option will allow you to keep your preferred layout for your equipment wherever you go.

No planning permission cost in some cases
Section 55(2)(a) of the UK Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows internal works without the need for planning permission. However, Article 44 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 (SI 2015/595) details that you cannot make internal alterations of more than 200 square metres for buildings used for the retail sale of goods other than hot food, so make sure you plan accordingly.

If you do not need planning permission to build a mezzanine within your warehouse, you are able to save a lot of time and thousands of pounds.

Keep your money within the business
If you own a business, you know how important it is to keep production costs low and to ensure the money you spend is done so wisely. If you decide to expand your warehouse with a mezzanine floor instead of renting a new warehouse, you’ll be able to keep that money as an investment for your business as opposed to giving that money to a landlord.

Increase in speed of workflow
By increasing the amount of space available for your employees to work in, Alfa Industrial say, you can improve the workflow in your facility. Increasing the speed at which your warehouse produces your products will create more revenue, allowing your new mezzanine floor to pay for itself.

Mezzanine Floors Help Warehouses Save

Mezzanine floors aren’t just a great space saving tool, they’re also money savers that are sure to help your business in the long run. Alfa Industrial, a leading engineering solutions provider, told us how you can save money by building a new floor within your warehouse.

Energy saving
Mezzanine floors are placed high off the ground. As you heat your warehouse during the winter, the warmth will rise to the top, making your mezzanine floor the perfect place for an office, meeting room or staff room.

Having a mezzanine floor also means you will have a smaller area of space to heat, as opposed to having multiple rooms, allowing you to save a considerable amount on energy bills.

No need to expand your facilities
By expanding your warehouse space through traditional means (building extra rooms or relocating) you will spend a large sum of money that you can otherwise avoid with a new mezzanine floor. These systems provide a solution to your lack of space by allowing you to expand your warehouse for a much cheaper price.

Less time shutting down operations
Mezzanine floors can be built in as little time as one day, allowing you to shut down your operations for only the minimal amount of time possible. This will ensure that you only lose a minimal amount of revenue from the shut down of your facility.

Dismountable
Avoid spending money on sizing down on your equipment with a mezzanine floor! Mezzanine floors can be dismounted and built again, allowing you to move your infrastructure anywhere your business takes you next. This permanent expansion option will allow you to keep your preferred layout for your equipment wherever you go.

No planning permission cost in some cases
Section 55(2)(a) of the UK Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows internal works without the need for planning permission. However, Article 44 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 (SI 2015/595) details that you cannot make internal alterations of more than 200 square metres for buildings used for the retail sale of goods other than hot food, so make sure you plan accordingly.

If you do not need planning permission to build a mezzanine within your warehouse, you are able to save a lot of time and thousands of pounds.

Keep your money within the business
If you own a business, you know how important it is to keep production costs low and to ensure the money you spend is done so wisely. If you decide to expand your warehouse with a mezzanine floor instead of renting a new warehouse, you’ll be able to keep that money as an investment for your business as opposed to giving that money to a landlord.

Increase in speed of workflow
By increasing the amount of space available for your employees to work in, Alfa Industrial say, you can improve the workflow in your facility. Increasing the speed at which your warehouse produces your products will create more revenue, allowing your new mezzanine floor to pay for itself.

New Distributor of Lift Trucks in New Zealand

From 1 December 2022, heavy equipment dealer AB Equipment became the distributor of Konecranes Lift Trucks throughout New Zealand. This has improved the options available to lift trucks customers in the region.

Established in 1878, AB Equipment has long been a New Zealand market leader in industrial equipment for materials handling, construction, forestry and city maintenance. Working with an extensive range of global brands, it has 18 branches across the country that deliver 24/7 service support and genuine parts. The addition of Konecranes to their product and aftermarket portfolio follows AB Equipment’s business strategy as it focuses on keeping local businesses moving as effectively and efficiently as possible.

“Becoming the distributor for Konecranes Lift Trucks in New Zealand enables us to offer our customers greater choice and further strengthen our leadership position in forklifts and access equipment,” says Peter Escott, CEO of AB Equipment. “The iconic Konecranes brand is associated with strength, performance and reliability, and we’re excited to show their award-winning electric forklift E-VER to our local customers. With high durability and intelligent controls, all of their lift trucks offer smart and fuel-efficient solutions for Kiwi businesses.”

AB Equipment can now provide New Zealand with the full range of Konecranes forklifts, reach stackers and container handlers, including Ecolifting driveline options to save fuel and reduce emissions, along with the Konecranes flagship E-VER, Konecranes’ first heavy-duty fully-electric Li-ion forklift. TRUCONNECT® Remote Monitoring will help AB Equipment customers to optimize their operations and maintenance by collecting their lift truck usage data and presenting it through the online portal yourKONECRANES.com.

“Konecranes Lift Trucks has had a presence in New Zealand for some time,” says Patrik Lundbäck, VP, Sales and Distribution, Lift Trucks, Konecranes. “Through AB Equipment, we’re now able to provide our customers across the country with a more comprehensive product portfolio and a whole new level of service support. We’re excited to begin this new partnership and look forward to working with AB Equipment for many years to come.”

New Distributor of Lift Trucks in New Zealand

From 1 December 2022, heavy equipment dealer AB Equipment became the distributor of Konecranes Lift Trucks throughout New Zealand. This has improved the options available to lift trucks customers in the region.

Established in 1878, AB Equipment has long been a New Zealand market leader in industrial equipment for materials handling, construction, forestry and city maintenance. Working with an extensive range of global brands, it has 18 branches across the country that deliver 24/7 service support and genuine parts. The addition of Konecranes to their product and aftermarket portfolio follows AB Equipment’s business strategy as it focuses on keeping local businesses moving as effectively and efficiently as possible.

“Becoming the distributor for Konecranes Lift Trucks in New Zealand enables us to offer our customers greater choice and further strengthen our leadership position in forklifts and access equipment,” says Peter Escott, CEO of AB Equipment. “The iconic Konecranes brand is associated with strength, performance and reliability, and we’re excited to show their award-winning electric forklift E-VER to our local customers. With high durability and intelligent controls, all of their lift trucks offer smart and fuel-efficient solutions for Kiwi businesses.”

AB Equipment can now provide New Zealand with the full range of Konecranes forklifts, reach stackers and container handlers, including Ecolifting driveline options to save fuel and reduce emissions, along with the Konecranes flagship E-VER, Konecranes’ first heavy-duty fully-electric Li-ion forklift. TRUCONNECT® Remote Monitoring will help AB Equipment customers to optimize their operations and maintenance by collecting their lift truck usage data and presenting it through the online portal yourKONECRANES.com.

“Konecranes Lift Trucks has had a presence in New Zealand for some time,” says Patrik Lundbäck, VP, Sales and Distribution, Lift Trucks, Konecranes. “Through AB Equipment, we’re now able to provide our customers across the country with a more comprehensive product portfolio and a whole new level of service support. We’re excited to begin this new partnership and look forward to working with AB Equipment for many years to come.”

Hellmann Logistics Expands in North Germany

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has opened a new branch in Neumuenster. From the site located 50 km north of Hamburg, road activities in Schleswig-Holstein are to be further expanded. The aim is to develop the company’s own network in the strategically important region between Hamburg and the Danish border and to establish further general cargo lines. At the same time, the logistics company wants to further enter the Scandinavian region through strategic expansion in the north. With the opening of the new location, Hellmann is also responding to the increased demand for storage facilities available at short notice between the Port of Hamburg and Scandinavia.

Both the location and the technically state-of-the-art 4,500 m² logistics facility offer long-term and strategic advantages for the distribution network. Thus, the new branch also has the corresponding growth capacities to meet the needs of both existing and new customers. At the same time, the location will be integrated into the general cargo network called NG.network, which was successfully launched under the new brand on January 1, 2023. As the largest network partner and as a shareholder, Hellmann is now represented in the cooperation with 17 branches and, together with NG.network, is significantly driving the further development of the joint Germany-wide network.

“The decision to open our own branch in Neumuenster was made for various reasons: The region in the triangle of Neumuenster, Crivitz near Schwerin and Hamburg offers a lot of potential, especially with regard to the food industry as well as renewable energies, which we want to use even more in the future. By selecting this location, we are strengthening the network and thus also our capacity and service quality,” says Jonathan Adeoye, COO Road Germany & West Europe, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

Since its foundation over 150 years ago, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has developed into one of the largest international logistics providers in the world. With more than 12,300 employees, the company is active in 60 countries and generated sales of around EUR 4 billion in 2021.The range of services includes classic forwarding services by truck, rail, air and sea freight, as well as a comprehensive range of CEP services, contract logistics, industry and IT solutions.

Hellmann Logistics Expands in North Germany

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has opened a new branch in Neumuenster. From the site located 50 km north of Hamburg, road activities in Schleswig-Holstein are to be further expanded. The aim is to develop the company’s own network in the strategically important region between Hamburg and the Danish border and to establish further general cargo lines. At the same time, the logistics company wants to further enter the Scandinavian region through strategic expansion in the north. With the opening of the new location, Hellmann is also responding to the increased demand for storage facilities available at short notice between the Port of Hamburg and Scandinavia.

Both the location and the technically state-of-the-art 4,500 m² logistics facility offer long-term and strategic advantages for the distribution network. Thus, the new branch also has the corresponding growth capacities to meet the needs of both existing and new customers. At the same time, the location will be integrated into the general cargo network called NG.network, which was successfully launched under the new brand on January 1, 2023. As the largest network partner and as a shareholder, Hellmann is now represented in the cooperation with 17 branches and, together with NG.network, is significantly driving the further development of the joint Germany-wide network.

“The decision to open our own branch in Neumuenster was made for various reasons: The region in the triangle of Neumuenster, Crivitz near Schwerin and Hamburg offers a lot of potential, especially with regard to the food industry as well as renewable energies, which we want to use even more in the future. By selecting this location, we are strengthening the network and thus also our capacity and service quality,” says Jonathan Adeoye, COO Road Germany & West Europe, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

Since its foundation over 150 years ago, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has developed into one of the largest international logistics providers in the world. With more than 12,300 employees, the company is active in 60 countries and generated sales of around EUR 4 billion in 2021.The range of services includes classic forwarding services by truck, rail, air and sea freight, as well as a comprehensive range of CEP services, contract logistics, industry and IT solutions.

Traceable Sporting Goods Collection

Sourcemap, a global provider of supply chain transparency and traceability software, today announced that Amer Sports – the parent company of premier athletic apparel and equipment brands such as Arc’teryx, Wilson, Salomon and others – has signed on to track and trace critical commodities such as cotton and viscose, also called rayon.

Amer Sports will leverage Sourcemap’s full-suite supply chain transparency solution to collect transaction certificates for certified materials and independently verify the company’s and its subsidiaries’ entire chain of custody, from raw material to finished product, across its supply chain spanning five continents.

Two common raw materials for everyday and activewear across the apparel industry, cotton and viscose traverse through a number of intermediary stops, from the forest or farm at which it is sourced to retailer shelves. Between ginners, traders, fabric mills, sewers and other middlemen, thoroughly checking and controlling how and where these materials move is typically a costly and technically difficult challenge. In the U.S., legislation like the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act has forced importers to irrefutably prove how their cotton and viscose are sourced or risk legal and financial repercussions, but fewer than 20 percent of apparel companies surveyed by KPMG reported having full visibility into their supply chains.

The parent company of established consumer brands such as Arc’teryx, Salomon, Peak Performance, Atomic, Wilson, Armada, ENVE Composites, Louisville Slugger, DeMarini and Sports Tracker, Amer provides everything from household hardgoods such as sports equipment to high-performance outdoor apparel. With such complex supply chains, Amer relies on real-time commodity mapping to ensure material compliance.

“Customer satisfaction is one of our main priorities, and we achieve this when we create total transparency and compliance with local and international mandates within our complete supply chain,” said Pascal Covatta, VP of Global Sourcing at Amer Sports. “Sourcemap is the integral partner enabling us to answer these customer needs and compliance expectations for our end-to-end supply chain transparency.”

Pioneered by Sourcemap, the supplier discovery process connects direct and indirect suppliers, sites, shipping lanes and transactions for an up-to-date graph of entire global operations. On average, Sourcemap customers discover more than 10,000 suppliers during the process; since signing on as a customer, Amer already has undergone Sourcemap’s supplier discovery program for one of its essential commodities: cotton, identifying upstream suppliers from farms to mills to factories within its supply chain.

Ahead of its peers, Sourcemap offers a certification workflow, a customizable solution that ensures brand protection and credibility along every tier of the supply chain. Thoroughly collecting an audit trail of evidence for future reporting, Sourcemap’s certification workflows are multi-brand, multi-certification and multi-commodity, ensuring every component of the value chain is verified. By utilizing Sourcemap’s certification workflow, Amer is able to manage its intricate supply chains with end-to-end visibility into the entire value chain, an essential undertaking to remain compliant and competitive.

“We will continue to see forward-thinking brands like Amer with complex supply chains that span nearly every corner of the world move beyond legacy mapping systems,” said Sourcemap CEO and founder Leo Bonanni (pictured). “As global companies continue to build resilient supply chains, traceability and transparency move even closer toward the centre of successful business planning. Sourcemap is key to helping companies across all sectors stay one step ahead.”

Traceable Sporting Goods Collection

Sourcemap, a global provider of supply chain transparency and traceability software, today announced that Amer Sports – the parent company of premier athletic apparel and equipment brands such as Arc’teryx, Wilson, Salomon and others – has signed on to track and trace critical commodities such as cotton and viscose, also called rayon.

Amer Sports will leverage Sourcemap’s full-suite supply chain transparency solution to collect transaction certificates for certified materials and independently verify the company’s and its subsidiaries’ entire chain of custody, from raw material to finished product, across its supply chain spanning five continents.

Two common raw materials for everyday and activewear across the apparel industry, cotton and viscose traverse through a number of intermediary stops, from the forest or farm at which it is sourced to retailer shelves. Between ginners, traders, fabric mills, sewers and other middlemen, thoroughly checking and controlling how and where these materials move is typically a costly and technically difficult challenge. In the U.S., legislation like the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act has forced importers to irrefutably prove how their cotton and viscose are sourced or risk legal and financial repercussions, but fewer than 20 percent of apparel companies surveyed by KPMG reported having full visibility into their supply chains.

The parent company of established consumer brands such as Arc’teryx, Salomon, Peak Performance, Atomic, Wilson, Armada, ENVE Composites, Louisville Slugger, DeMarini and Sports Tracker, Amer provides everything from household hardgoods such as sports equipment to high-performance outdoor apparel. With such complex supply chains, Amer relies on real-time commodity mapping to ensure material compliance.

“Customer satisfaction is one of our main priorities, and we achieve this when we create total transparency and compliance with local and international mandates within our complete supply chain,” said Pascal Covatta, VP of Global Sourcing at Amer Sports. “Sourcemap is the integral partner enabling us to answer these customer needs and compliance expectations for our end-to-end supply chain transparency.”

Pioneered by Sourcemap, the supplier discovery process connects direct and indirect suppliers, sites, shipping lanes and transactions for an up-to-date graph of entire global operations. On average, Sourcemap customers discover more than 10,000 suppliers during the process; since signing on as a customer, Amer already has undergone Sourcemap’s supplier discovery program for one of its essential commodities: cotton, identifying upstream suppliers from farms to mills to factories within its supply chain.

Ahead of its peers, Sourcemap offers a certification workflow, a customizable solution that ensures brand protection and credibility along every tier of the supply chain. Thoroughly collecting an audit trail of evidence for future reporting, Sourcemap’s certification workflows are multi-brand, multi-certification and multi-commodity, ensuring every component of the value chain is verified. By utilizing Sourcemap’s certification workflow, Amer is able to manage its intricate supply chains with end-to-end visibility into the entire value chain, an essential undertaking to remain compliant and competitive.

“We will continue to see forward-thinking brands like Amer with complex supply chains that span nearly every corner of the world move beyond legacy mapping systems,” said Sourcemap CEO and founder Leo Bonanni (pictured). “As global companies continue to build resilient supply chains, traceability and transparency move even closer toward the centre of successful business planning. Sourcemap is key to helping companies across all sectors stay one step ahead.”

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