WMS and trolley 4.0: best practices and key success factors

Having kept pace with technological developments over time, trolleys have gradually transformed into connected devices . Today, they are an integral part of teams and adapt to the different logistical contexts of warehouses (the nature of the products, the number of orders per day, the size of the aisles, etc.).

Thanks to embedded technology and the ability to connect them to a WMS , they are considered true partners in the service of productivity .

What do 4.0 carts offer?

Above all, Industry 4.0 (or connected) forklifts bring precision to everyday operations . Thanks to the onboard technology, the operator is more accurate in carrying out their work.

In general, connected trolleys can be equipped with:

• Put to Light solution : monitoring the placement of goods in the correct location.
• Weight control : verification that the correct quantity of goods is deposited in the correct location.
• Cameras : photos taken at each drop-off, constituting evidence in case of tensions/disputes between a customer and their supplier, for example.

Teams will be more efficient overall. Quality control will ultimately be strengthened through the technologies mentioned above, which can be supplemented by image-based inspection, for example.

Thanks to these technologies, the Industry 4.0 forklift will provide more precise information , enabling operators to be more efficient in their daily work. Indeed, everything can be calculated, from the number of stops and starts of the forklift to the distance traveled per day. All this data can be used, for example, to:

• Plan for the maintenance of the trolley
• Determining whether your warehouse is well organized,
• Helping operators in their work by understanding the difficulties they may encounter…

In future uses of the connected cart, we can envision making work more engaging for teams . As the cart keeps pace with technological advancements, it's certain that working methods will continue to evolve, opening up many possibilities.

What is the connection with the WMS?

A WMS collects and feeds on data and information. For this collection, our EGO platform has 2 modules called "Dashboard" and "EGO Perf" which will manage changes in individual and collective productivity.

Through "EGO Perf," the collected data will allow for improvements in team efficiency and productivity. Indeed, thanks to this data, bottlenecks will be avoided, resource needs will be better defined, and all of this will lead to time savings for the organization.

The "Dashboard" module of the EGO WMS, meanwhile, aims to teams with all the necessary information in real time,

• The number of orders remaining to be prepared,
• The time of the next collection,
• The level of urgency of certain tasks,
• The number of pallets to be stored on the dock,
• Etc.

This contextual information will support the work of the manager on the ground, who will thus be able to ensure that all the warehouse's key resources are focused on the right point.

Implementation of the 4.0 cart: what are the success factors?

The key success factors will be found at 3 levels :

1. Synchronization of logistics flows
2. IT integration
3. The maintainability of the solution

When implementing a solution like the 4.0 forklift is considered in a warehouse, it signifies that the company has reached a certain level of logistical maturity. Generally, the first component to digitize via a WMS (Warehouse Management System) is the flow of goods in order to synchronize it.

• Synchronization of receiving with replenishment,
• Synchronization of restocking with preparation,
• Synchronization of preparation with loading.

This action allows operators to manage, for example, line stoppages or disruptions in the supply chain that impact team efficiency and productivity. Synchronizing all these flows also ensures that customer requirements are aligned with the company's logistical context (order sizes, product structures, types of forklifts, etc.), thus enabling the operators to select the most suitable pickup method.
This initial step provides the foundation for future automation and/or the implementation of a "Forklift 4.0" to optimize productivity and efficiency.

From an IT perspective, the main challenge lies in information processing and ultimately in the ability to process, analyze, and utilize all this data.

Regarding maintainability, it's important to understand that the Industry 4.0 forklift incorporates technology, which implies more complex maintenance. Therefore, it's crucial that the manufacturer has complete technical mastery of their product to ensure good maintainability.