The exponential growth of E-commerce was expected during the lockdowns. From 2020 to 2021, businesses and consumers increasingly became “digital”. This change led to a growth of global trade from 14% to 17% just in 2020 alone, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. This growth in e-commerce also meant tremendous development in the supply chain industry. Today, we will share why supply chains need rugged devices and how they can help sustain the demanding market.
Why Rugged Devices Are Perfect For the Supply Chain
There are numerous ways rugged devices can benefit the supply chain industry. It helps for easier communications, security, and more. In addition, it helps in monitoring any situation in the areas like warehouses, retail stores, shipyards, delivery, the last mile, and more. Finally, rugged devices allow for management to instantly collect, feed, and access information and data within a mobile-integrated enterprise.
Supply Chains Needs Rugged Devices for Mobility
Most activities in the supply chain happen along the borders of the central network and get into warehouses, into shipyards, across roads, into stores and front doors. At any of these points, supply chain data must be continuously updated securely and accurately. Furthermore, they are also areas in the supply chain that can be challenging – so everything must be stored on point.
This means warehousing employees, fleet drivers, retail store clerks and more will need a reliable device that will allow them to enter critical data anytime and anywhere. These devices must be tough enough to work in any kind of environment and withstand demanding conditions. As a result, rugged devices are the perfect choice for the supply chain.
Unfortunately, despite the challenges faced by the supply chain, more than half of the companies operating in this industry are still using regular devices. In fact, in a recent survey of 185 purchasing managers in this industry, 55% says they need to provide employees with more suitable devices.
The same survey done by Peerless Research Group shares that two-thirds of the companies increased their investment in mobile devices. In addition, more and more companies are shifting away from regular commercial-grade devices and using rugged devices. Rugged devices may be more expensive up front, however, the lifespan of these devices and their significantly lower failure rates will allow companies to save more.
In another survey titled, “Improving Supply Chain Efficiencies,” some of the most common applications which mobile devices are used include the following
- 59% – Barcode scanning for inventory management and tracking
- 56% – Inventory tracking and management
- 39% – Restocking and put-away
- 56% – Picking, packing, and sorting
- 37% – Item, pallet, or container-level tagging and management
- 28% – Quality control
- 27% – Asset management
- 56% – Shipping and receiving
Supply Chains Needs Rugged Devices To Keep Workers Connected
Within the supply chain, an employee’s duties may vary. However, no matter what duties these workers are doing, they need devices that have the correct capabilities.
- Fast and Reliable 4G LTE connectivity
- Modern SIM Technology
- Reliable GPS and Wireless Capabilities
- Dependable connections in any type of environments
- Option to switch communication modes
- Multi-carrier modems
- Low Failure rates and high-performance standard
- A security feature that provides protection for connectivity, data, and the device
- Excellent tech support and warranty plans
Different Uses of Rugged Devices In the Supply Chain
Within the supply chain industry, workers constantly need to keep up with tasks and productivity. This is critical as the supply chain heavily depends on staff completing routine day to day tasks. Additionally, in a survey, rugged devices can be a crucial tool in ensuring the supply chain can carry out tasks such as:
- Asset management
- Barcode scanning for tracking and inventory management
- Container level tagging and management
- Inventory tracking and management
- Picking, sorting and packing
- Quality control inspection
- Restocking and waste management
- Shipping and receiving
Is your supply chain operations ready to achieve growth? Furthermore, do you have the right tools such as rugged devices to sustain this growth? Conker Rugged Devices are an excellent choice offering companies an option to choose between Android or Windows operating system.