BMO2203 E-Supply Chain Management Questions

Final Test

Question 1

The onset of technological advancement has revolutionized the way warehouses operate in today’s modern world. Use of technology has made warehouse management more efficient and to some extent easy too. In most of the middle-sized enterprises, warehouses are partially automated. They do rely on technology, but their operations are not fully automated. The technology that they use is not cutting-edge either. However, this does not mean that development of technological tools such as advanced robotic systems have not disrupted warehouse management and operation. They indeed have altered the way warehouses function and operate on a day-to-day basis. For instance, Carlsberg makes use of automated forklifts to carry around 500 pallets per hour in one of its distribution centre in Sweden. This is just one example, but the phenomenon holds true for millions of enterprises. Just imagine the number of people who must have become employed because of the adoption of such advanced technology in warehouses around the world! Multi-national corporations present a different picture altogether. Their warehouses are usually fully-automated as they have an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS). In such a system, everything is linked to the centre’s Warehouse Management System. Cranes automatically go up and down the aisles. Full automation in warehouses guarantees high level of productivity. Nevertheless, the capital cost of full automation is quite high and not all firms can afford it. 

Front-end technology is any technology which the client or customer interacts with directly. In case of businesses, front-end technology mostly refers to websites, e-commerce sites, and business apps. These are the technologies which help businesses in connecting to and reaching out to customers. On the other hand, back-end technology is the technology that powers the front-end technology. It is akin to the generator that provides power to all the electronic appliances in a building. In case of a business website, back-end technology refers to the programming language that has been used to design the website. Both, back-end as well as front-end, business technologies are equally important. Even though the customers only get to see the front-end technologies, the role played by back-end technologies cannot be undermined. Front-end and back-end technologies interact with each other for business decisions. For instance, if an e-commerce website crashes whenever customers add more than three items to the cart, it means there is an issue with the back-end technology that has been used to develop the website. In order to fix this issue with the front-end technology, the business needs to tackle the issue with the back-end technology. This may even require the business to take the decision of changing the company it has outsourced its back-end technology to. Such a business decision might sound too trivial, but in reality decisions like these can significantly impact the performance of a business. If the business decides to switch to another developer company, the problem with its website might get fixed and eventually it will help the business by increasing its sales volume.  

Question 2

Six emerging technologies that have some potential for logistics application are as follow:

1. Robotics: Robots can proficiently perform several duties at a time simultaneously, that too with utmost efficiency. This feature differentiates them from automated machinery, and is exactly what makes robots quite useful and attractive for the logistics industry. They can be used in a number of different ways within a single warehouse, depends on the need of the warehouse. Robots have been particularly of high importance for the e-commerce businesses. The reason being that such businesses have the potential of sudden increase in online sales volume. Therefore, they need the assistance of robots to meet the sales requirement efficiently and quickly. The trend started off with Amazon when it established its monopoly on Kiva robots in the year 2012.
2. Wearable technology: Wearable technology refers to those technological gadgets that can be worn by the users on their body or can be incorporated in their clothing in order to use them with convenience and without mobility issues. Experts are forecasting that in the coming time wearable technology will become a pre-requisite in the logistics industry. The benefits of wearable technology in the logistics industry became apparent when DHL carried out a pilot study. In this study, it made all the workers in its warehouse wear a wearable technology gadget. The results showed that wearable technology not only improved the efficiency of workers, but also increased their work satisfaction.