“ In the beverage alcohol industry , processing incoming orders from retailers , generating invoices and other tasks beyond that has already been taken over by AI ,” says Asif Rehmani , founder and CEO at VisualSP .
VisualSP offers a Digital Adoption Platform that utilizes AI to offer employees training , in-context support and integrated messaging on enterprise web applications . For example , it can help guide a sales rep to make the next best step in order to secure a sale .
“ Within the beverage industry , you have CRMs like Salesforce , Planner and all kinds of methodology you ’ re using to ensure people are making the right decisions ,” explains Rehmani . “ Our platform can help stop employees before they make a mistake such as messing up an order . Compliance and regulation also becomes easy since AI is guiding them . There are amazing things happening in the AI space to make decision-making super easy and enhance productivity .”
AI IN THE WAREHOUSE
Members of the middle tier across the country are using AI technology to help streamline warehouse operations . Southern Glazer ’ s Wine & Spirits , for example , just recently partnered with Symbotic Inc . to deploy its AI-powered software and robotics warehouse automation systems in select Southern Glazer ’ s distribution centers . The companies have agreed to implement the first of these systems by 2025 , according to a news release .
Symbotic ’ s automation system will enable Southern Glazer ’ s to improve fill rates , order accuracy and customer service times at its distribution centers , while also extending the capacity and useful life of its existing facilities . The system will build mixed-case pallets for efficient route-stop delivery and more accurately handle both high velocity and slow-moving inventory , as stated in the release .
ShipLab ’ s co-founder Alan Silberstein notes three key areas in which warehouses are using AI to help solve some common issues :
Automation and Robotics : There are many robotics companies trying to either replace or enhance human productivity within the warehouse environment . However , robotics technology may not quite be ready to be fully incorporated into 3PLs , most of which deal with a wide variety of different product sizes and weights . Robotics is typically better suited for consistent form factors .
Standardization of Data and Integration : Despite having access to a plethora of technology , the logistics space remains heavily reliant on physical paper or manually written emails for communication and documentation . Where previous technology integrations required highly structured data , current implementations that use AI allow for a more flexible approach . This will likely lead to greater adoption across different transport carriers and warehouses .
Warehouse Space Optimization : AI is incredibly good at understanding correlation across large datasets . This is important because properly analyzing and using data within a warehouse can increase productivity through space optimization . For example , AI can identify what combinations of products are most commonly ordered together and then assemble a new storage configuration plan to bring those products closer together and make them more accessible .
“ AI has taken hold first in supply chain visibility — getting ETAs for shipments that parallel the visibility we can get as consumers from delivery services like DoorDash or Uber ,” says Edmund Zagorin , founder and chief strategy officer , Arkestro . “ Additionally , AI models analyze consumer behavior and historic purchasing trends to forecast demand more precisely at the level of individual locations and micro distribution centers , preventing overstock and stockouts . For procurement teams , AI can help balance the spot market with long-term contracts , which improves efficiency and cuts costs . In short , AI is becoming essential for better decision-making and operational efficiency in the beverage alcohol industry .”
AI IMPROVING ORDER ACCURACY
The Lucas Warehouse Optimization Suite , or Jennifer™ , developed by Lucas Systems , works as the brains of RNDC ’ s warehouses . The system is at work in both the case pick and bottle pick areas , serving as an imperative part of RNDC ’ s fulfillment system .
Jennifer™ is AI-powered intelligence that optimizes and orchestrates warehouse operations . According to Ken Ramoutar , CMO of Lucas Systems , Jennifer™ processes all of the orders that come in and then distributes that work to employees out on the warehouse floor through a headset .
“ What Jennifer™ does is she instructs the workers on exactly what to pick for every customer in the most efficient way possible ,” he says . “ This system helps streamline the entire bottle picking process , allowing warehouse workers to use both hands while listening to what Jennifer™ tells them to do , without complications .”
THE FUTURE OF AI
Rehmani notes that one of the most important things to keep in mind about AI is that it ’ s not here to replace our jobs . It is simply here to make our lives easier .
“ I don ’ t think AI will replace jobs ,” he says . “ Similar to other technologies that have taken over , we will always have jobs , but they may just be higher level ones . AI is our co-pilot and humans will remain the main pilot .”
Instead of worrying about AI taking over our jobs , companies need to start embracing this technology , especially if they want to succeed . “ Businesses who want to thrive in today ’ s market need native AI planning solutions ,” notes Logility ’ s Henriott . “ Starting smart with driver-based forecasting that learns from the impact of promotions , seasonality and new product introductions is key to increasing margins .”
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