Pallet inverters are around since the year 1977, and it was used mostly in warehouses where material handling is a very important requirement.
As the technology got further improved its application started increasing in the production environment too. Nowadays many manufacturers are dealing with palettenwechsler (English Meaning pallet changer) and robots and artificial intelligence is also used for their operation.
As the demand for these items continued to grow in the consumer products industry, warehouses need to develop strategies for optimizing their supply chain.
The following are a few of the top issues faced by the consumer products industries:
1. Lack of space
As the demand for all consumer products is going up hence warehouses need to store a higher volume of products as more and more orders are received.
Limited space can put constraints on the growth of business and particularly if the company’s warehouses cannot meet the space demand promptly.
2. Inefficient equipment
To keep pace with new demands needs warehouses to utilize more sophisticated equipment. All manpower to operate those machines also need adequate training to handle the increased volume.
Outdated machines can give more problems and makes the warehouses inefficient to meet the demands.
3. Imprecise warehouse location and its monitoring
After the coronavirus pandemic need has come to source products that are closer to the end consumer. If the warehouses are located far away from consumers, then the cost of transporting will increase.
Nearshoring will allow companies to deliver products more quickly to the point of sale, offering greater resiliency when consumer demands keep on shifting.
4. Inaccurate inventory
Keeping proper track of inventory levels is always the key to meeting customer demands. Warehouses need accurately monitor orders to meet the expectations of the customers. If the inventory remains inaccurate, then items could be over-ordered, and customers may experience unnecessary delays.
5. Unnecessary operations
To eliminate unnecessary activities a significant improvement in productivity in consumer products is needed so that warehouse operations can be streamlined.
Many warehouses often suffer from unnecessary procedures that can add extra burdens and cause delays.
Unnecessary procedures can increase warehouse operations, right from pallet handling to filling various orders and managing paperwork.
6. Unwieldy products
Bulky orders can pose a big problem for warehouse storage. Often consumers may order a bulk-sized quantity of any smaller item or purchase a very difficult-to-store item like a luxury vehicle, where warehouses need creative solutions for such products.
Often workers can store all these items in certain taller storage racks or on any stackable pallets.
7. Worker injuries
This is one of the most dreaded things that can happen on any warehouse floor. Due to repetitive movements, warehouse employees can get back and neck injuries.
8. Supply shortages
Everything from laptops to food items is hard to find on shelves due to a shortage and rising demand. The lack of wooden pallets resulting from increasing lumber prices, which more than doubled between May 2020 and May 2021, presents a special issue for warehouses.
According to a recent industry survey, 94% of the pallets in use today are composed of wood. Given how frequently they are used, wooden pallets have a significant negative financial impact on manufacturers’ and warehouses’ bottom lines nationwide.
