The electronics sector is not exempt from the global supply chain challenges facing many industries, and with an estimated workforce of nearly 40,000, it’s essential to ‘Boost dock-to-stock times,’ especially within distribution operations.
That’s why Southgate Global, a leader in the supply of material handling equipment and servicing in operational logistics and fulfilment, has invested in enhancing its Mobile Power Workstation (MPW) which can boost dock-to-stock times and give companies a performance edge.
As the tempo of the supply chain continues to ramp up, customers are looking for efficient suppliers. Running more efficient processes and specifically reducing dock-to-stock time, which is the time it takes to put goods that arrive at the loading bay away on the racks, is rising to the top of the agenda.
Southgate’s Mobile Power Workstation (MPW) is specifically designed to boost workforce productivity. With its own integrated power system used to power laptops, barcode printers and scanners, the MPW allows operatives to walk and work anywhere in the warehouse.
This enables better management and logging of high-value and fragile stock directly at the dock, with the ability to scan and verify serial numbers on the spot, and update inventory while on the move – all helping to prevent damage and enhance operational efficiency.
With over 600 customers across the UK and Europe, Southgate’s MPW is already used by major logistics and fulfilment operations, and it has been proven to cut costs by £4,250 per operative per year.
As companies look to stay competitive, warehouse and distribution centres are turning to innovative tools to help them stay ahead. Phil O’Driscoll, Head of Innovation & New Product Development at Southgate Global, explains how its MPW can ensure exactly that.
“We are witnessing an increasing number of customers turning to us for solutions to move shipments off their loading bays and into stock as quickly as possible. If you’ve got product waiting to be received, it has multiple impacts, including inventory turns, customer service and order cycle times. Not to mention the problems it causes with space issues and congestion at the dock and in the warehouse.
“By implementing an MPW at the dock door which has its own integrated power system used to power laptops, barcode printers or scanners, you can reduce your processing time for each delivery by dealing with all the stock entry requirements and ERP updates at the point and time of arrival. If you’re saving around four hours a day, when calculated annually this quickly adds up to a huge cost saving.
O’Driscoll also stressed the benefits of taking paper out of the equation and being able to move the MPW around the warehouse: “Operators are still walking back and forth to a fixed workstation to find purchase orders, enter data and print labels, and this wasted time quickly adds up. For many of our customers, once they made the switch to our MPW, they found that they had freed up time they never knew existed, essentially doubling workforce productivity just by reducing the number of steps that workers take on the warehouse floor.
“By making the switch to an MPW, companies can also reduce the risk of inaccurate data entries. Having an MPW at the loading bay means you are majorly reducing the likelihood of mis-keyed data, stock-keeping errors from scribbled notes or misprinting stock labels all whilst eliminating walk time. Everything you need is at your fingertips.”
Southgate’s MPW includes a two-battery solution each providing 16 hours of battery life, enough for two shifts per battery.
“As demands for speed and efficiency continue to rise, we expect to see the use of MPW’s as an essential element of any optimised warehouse. It’s those organisations that have equipment that enhances human efficiency throughout the warehouse and especially at the human / automation interface that will be the ones who achieve higher productivity and maintain competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market. It is that balance that will give them greater agility to adapt to changing customer needs.”
For more information on Southgate’s Mobile Power Workstation click here.
To find out more about Global Supply Chains, take a look at Factory and Handling Solutions’ News Page
