CHICAGO — Jack Kaumo sees a lot of customers quick to jump on the automation bandwagon, especially when they observe their competitors buying a new shiny tool or system. “That may not be the correct way to go about it,” the director of iWarehouse sales at Raymond told a session at ProMat 2019 in Chicago. “Before you do that, you need to make sure you’re ready.”

Being ready starts with gathering and understanding data. Gathering data doesn’t require much change for warehouses. By their nature, the facilities already have data-generating systems in place.

Warehouse management systems (WMS), transportation management systems (TMS), ERPs and operator assistance programs continuously collect data. RFID, barcodes and robotics provide data. So do equipment maintenance schedules and employee time clocks.

Read the entire article in SupplyChainDive.com here.