Tech Trends Reshaping The Indian Warehousing Industry
Technological progression has been taking over the country and helping businesses across several verticals reach their highest potential with digital advancements. One of the sectors that have been contributing to the technological revolution is the warehousing sector. The warehousing industry has been a key driver of growth for India and was seen witnessing a new high whilst being steered by India's manufacturing, logistics, FMCG and retail market. It was estimated to reach $12.2 billion in 2020. However, the global health crisis struck the country and imbalanced the sail for the market. But ever since, the industry has been following diverse technological trends to get back in the league and seen recovering well from the pandemic and its impact on the sector.
Making through the lowest of the rock bottoms, the warehousing industry is successfully paving a new path to growth as it revives from the blows of the pandemic. Delving into an array of advancements and tech-trends, it is now anticipated to expand its reach and aggravate the profitability of the market by the following:
Effective Transportation
Cost-effective and time-efficient transportation has surfaced as one of the emerging trends for the growth of the industry and is gearing up to skyrocket the gains of the warehousing market. Advancements such as drones, e-vehicles and ghost cargo are contributing majorly to the warehousing sector and thus making the process smoother along the way.
Omnichannel shipping is another transportation trend being followed by the leading names in warehousing. Connecting directly with customers for shipping and slashing the role of mediators in omnichannel shipping is proving to be a productive trend. With origin point being the warehouse, supplier, store, distribution centre to consumer and back is what omnichannel is is all about. It has been making the process efficient and catering to the best interests of all parties involved.
Stocking It Up
Several businesses and labels across ventures have faced a number of difficulties during the pandemic and witnessed their lowest of the lows as they stocked out on their raw material. Hampering the manufacturing and production of the brands, the crisis has been harsh on the warehousing industry and therefore introducing the thoughtful trend of keeping extensive stock
ready at the labels' convenience. Stocking up the inventory and keeping a track of things with the help of AI and other digital solutions, the leading sharks are now catering to raw material and storing it for short to medium terms to deal with similar emergencies in the near future.
Strengthening Cold Storage Warehousing
Since the cold storage segment has been mostly unorganised as a sector, the latest trend reassures organisation in the industry. Finding solutions to various concerns such as temperature-controlled units, keeping fresh the perishable products and edibles, supply shock and consequent price inflation concerns-- everything shall be addressed. The new trend is encouraging the country (government authorities and stakeholders) to realign this domain with technological progression and automated solutions to further help the sector recover from its rough phase sooner and bigger.
The Path Ahead
The latest technological trends are helping the industry to have a vision for the upcoming market and soar its profit numbers to new skies. With the introduction to several tech-savvy resorts such as Radio-frequency identification (RFID), Global positioning systems (GPS), Internet of Things (IoT) and more, the warehousing industry is reshaping the face of Indian markets and helping the homegrown Indian brands to go global with their approach and trends. Working cohesively with automated and collaborative technology, the sector is integrating new trends, services and features to cater to the ever-changing needs of the consumers and prosper while maintaining an upward graph of growth technologically and in-field.
