The role of AI and analytics in inventory management cannot be overstated in today’s shipping world. Simplifying supply chains, anticipating future trends, preventing unbalanced stocking levels, and minimizing product defects are just a few ways that these tools have revolutionized warehouses. Organizations that embrace AI technologies experience:
- improved efficiency,
- faster shipping,
- reduced costs,
- better customer satisfaction, and
- ultimately higher profitability,
while those that fail to keep up with the latest technological advancements forfeit their competitive edge.
Let’s dive into the role of data analytics and AI in inventory management, and explore how this technology can help your warehouse elevate its operations.
Contents
- The evolution of inventory management
- The role of AI in inventory management
- How data analytics enhances inventory accuracy
- Technological innovations and tools
- Real world examples of Logiwa’s success
- Future trends in AI and inventory management
- How Logiwa elevates warehouse logistics
- FAQs about AI and data analytics in inventory management
The evolution of inventory management
Traditional warehouses failed to make the most of the vast amounts of inventory data available. This often resulted in:
- A lack of precision leading to imbalanced inventories, stockouts and overstocks
- Inefficient packing processes causing goods to be damaged during shipping, resulting in customer dissatisfaction
- Non-existent labor standards resulting in poor shift planning, leading to higher labor costs
- Less agile operations failing to meet market fluctuations and unanticipated shifts in demand
To solve these difficulties, warehousing leaders began implementing data analytics for inventory control and automation for more efficient warehousing processes. The result was greater accuracy, faster shipping times, reduced labor costs, and greater ability to adapt and fulfill unpredictable market demands — and AI makes the process even better.
The role of AI in inventory management
AI technology has transformed nearly every industry, and the role of AI in inventory management has been revolutionary. The advanced algorithms of AI enable warehouse and fulfillment operations to stabilize their inventory levels, expedite their picking processes, and empower employees to work smarter, not harder.
Some of the benefits of AI in inventory management are:
- Real-time inventory management gives warehouse managers updates on all their stock levels, preventing stockouts and overstocks
- Predictive analytics enable demand forecasting, so that fulfillment operations can be more resilient
- Autonomous vehicles and drones powered by AI reduce human error and ease labor, increasing efficiency
- Dynamic order processing lets suppliers pivot to meet fluctuating demands
AI also powers process automation, which helps alleviate operational chokepoints while reducing the burden on human workers and boosting your team’s productivity. Our Workflow Automation employs AI to optimize picking, packing, shipping, and ordering processes, so that managers can know their warehouses are running as smoothly as possible.
Check out the short video above on Logiwa IO’s workflows, part of a series on Logiwa IO’s advanced features.
How data analytics enhances inventory accuracy
If AI is the brains behind modern inventory management, data analytics serves as the eyes and ears. AI algorithms can’t make their decisions without data inputs, and data analytics provides clear insights into the inner workings of your operations to give AI the information it needs. Managers are using real-time data analytics in warehousing to improve their inventory accuracy, reduce supply chain bottlenecks, and deliver the right product in the right condition at the right time. Historical data helps managers predict when to reorder certain items, and predictive analytics can help reduce stockouts and overstocks so that they have only the products they need. Data analytics can also help managers implement data-driven decision-making in their processes, so that they can improve the efficiency of their warehouse’s workflow. The result is increased perfect order rates (PORs) and ultimately greater profitability.
Check out our QuickTake webinar above to learn how Logiwa IO uses your data to skyrocket the efficiency of your team’s picking and packing.
Technological innovations and tools
Recent years have seen extraordinary advancements in AI’s capabilities. Some of the most innovative warehousing technologies that utilize AI include:
- Automated pick-and-pack systems, for fewer errors and better supply oversight
- Integration of barcode technology for accurate tracking
- Computer vision to improve order accuracy
- Robots and “co-bots” to improve productivity and reduce labor costs
Systems like Logiwa IO, a groundbreaking Fulfillment Management System (FMS) uses AI to drive its automation processes. Rather than merely overseeing inventory levels and shipping times as a warehouse management system (WMS) does, a FMS encompasses the entire order-to-delivery lifecycle, with the aim of giving the end user the best experience possible.
Logiwa IO is the next step in the evolution of warehouse management systems (WMS), utilizing AI and data analytics to consolidate inventory management processes for business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), direct-to-consumer (DTC), and third-party logistics (3PL) providers. It optimizes inventory management processes for even the most complex orders, with a focus on delivering perfect orders every time. The result is significantly more accurate order fulfillment and the highest caliber of customer satisfaction.
Real world examples of Logiwa’s success
Many companies have begun implementing data analytics and AI in inventory management, and they’ve seen impressive results. Some examples include:
- A 3PL provider whose customer base grew from 1 to 40 customers, increasing orders from 5 to 10,000+ orders per day
- An international shipping company that improved single-item picking time by 31% upon implementing Logiwa software
- A delivery platform that expanded their capacity by a factor of 10
Greater efficiency, reduced cost, faster picking speed, and improved scalability are a few benefits that implementing data analytics and AI into your inventory management processes can bring to your operations. So what could it achieve for your warehouse?
Future trends in AI and inventory management
As the technology matures, we can only expect the role of AI in inventory management to grow. The exact capabilities of data analytics and AI tools are yet to be seen, but they are likely to further enhance warehouse productivity, agility, and resilience by introducing even greater system precision.
Some future trends in inventory management that we’re looking forward to are:
- Increased adoption of robotics and autonomous vehicles, for even greater efficiency
- Enhanced predictive analytics using machine learning, to better anticipate future trends
- Real-time data analysis for even more granular insights into inventory
- Greater inventory optimization with AI, reducing waste and creating more sustainability
Whether it’s robots, machine learning, computer vision, or automation, we expect the future of inventory management to lean on heavily AI-powered tools. We also expect those tools to make warehouses more smart and lean than ever.
How Logiwa elevates warehouse logistics
Today’s warehouses employ cutting-edge technology at every layer of their operations. Many of these technologies are powered by data analytics and AI. AI tools enable warehouse managers to automate labor processes, improve order accuracy and shipping times, and make the most out of all of their resources, helping them keep pace with ever-changing market demands.
At Logiwa, we offer the next step in the evolution of WMS with fulfillment management systems, FMS solutions that warehouse managers need to maintain their advantage. Our tools employ leading data analytics and AI technology, in order to help our clients improve their operational efficiency.
If you’d like to elevate your inventory management processes and effortlessly scale your business, request a free demo of Logiwa IO today.
FAQs about AI and data analytics in inventory management
What are the main applications of AI in inventory management?
The main applications of AI inventory management are predictive analytics, automation, quality control, and fulfillment management systems.
What are the main benefits of predictive analytics in warehousing?
Reduced stockouts and overstocks, fewer supply chain bottlenecks, and improved readiness to meet shifting market trends are the main benefits of predictive analytics.
What are some future trends in inventory management?
Increased use of robotics, automated vehicles and drones, and computer vision implementation are a few future trends in inventory management, as well as smarter warehouse management systems.
How can AI in inventory management improve my warehousing processes?
Using AI in inventory management improves warehousing processes by improving efficiency, reducing stockout/overstock rates, enhancing supply chain resiliency, increasing perfect order fulfillment rates, expediting shipping times, and more.
What KPIs can help me evaluate how much data analytics and AI have improved my inventory management?
Perfect order rates, shipping times, customer satisfaction, stockout/overstock quantities, and pick times are a few key KPIs to help you monitor the role of AI in inventory management for your processes.
