The value of cold storage warehouses affects numerous industries beyond refrigerated and frozen food industries, says Lorie King Rogers of Modern Materials Handling magazine. Industries using cold chains include pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, high-tech electronics, and even cleaning and industrial chemicals. As a result, failure to maintain safety and efficiency could have damaging effects on these entities, and Warehouse Managers need to understand why a cold chain WMS can make all the difference.

Warehouse Managers Underestimate the Potential Value of Transparency in the Cold Chain WMS

Temperature fluctuations in the cold supply chain could result in dollars’ worth of lost revenue, as explained by Patrick Burnson of Supply Chain Management Review. Unfortunately, the flaws of cold chains only become evident when their complexity becomes extensive. Simply using the wrong type of equipment could lead to higher costs and poor performance due to problems functioning in cold environments. In cold environments, equipment without proper seals may be subject to condensation buildup and damage.

An integrated system that uses sensors, such as active RFID, can be a great improvement in increasing safety and efficiency in the cold storage warehouse, reports Datex. Information collected from these technologies can be logged into the WMS, enabling the reordering of products and more. Additional benefits of this approach include increased safety through better predictive maintenance of cold warehouse assets, such as refrigeration units. Keeping the facility in tip-top shape means understanding the movements within it and how inbound and outbound freight affect overall temperatures. In addition, an often-overlooked impact of these technologies can help address the second problem with cold temperatures affecting equipment.

Sensors and electronics that power devices connected to a cold chain WMS can actually help keep equipment warm enough to combat the effects of operations in a cold environment, says Burnson.

Tips for Using a WMS to Improve Efficiency, Safety, and More

Warehouse Managers can also work to improve cold chain storage and supply chain functions by taking these steps, as outlined by Rogers:

1. Reduce the number of product movements.
2. Combine transportation facilities with cold chain capabilities.
3. Increase the operational footprint into new regions.
4. Take advantage of scalable solutions.
5. Use automated sensors to achieve end-to-end, real-time visibility into cold chain freight.
6. Leverage robotics, automated storage and retrieval systems, and smart conveyors to reduce touchpoints as well as the effect of cold storage on workers.

Bring Visibility to Your Warehouse and Transportation Management Systems Through a Veridian Partnership Now

Using a cold chain WMS can have big benefits for your organization, including reducing costs, maximizing warehouse space, improving safety, increasing compliance with state and local regulations, and much more. Choose an experienced supply chain partner like Veridian to help you improve your cold chain WMS and other integrated systems.

Veridian, a Manhattan Associates, HighJump, and JDA warehouse management system implementation company, can help you realize your supply chain success. Fill out the contact information below in order to schedule a consultation call with one of our supply chain professionals.