In a world of fluctuating consumer demand, companies face the formidable challenge of establishing a cost-effective, scalable logistics system. Navigating these issues is especially difficult in the fashion industry, where supply chain volatility puts pressure on upstream suppliers and downstream distributors. SmartPocket offers a flexible solution by automating the material handling process and allowing you to pivot when demand shifts.
Blog Post
SmartPocket: Revolutionizing Supply Chain Logistics
Staying Competitive in a Changing Industry
Global industries have gone through many transformations over the last few decades. The fashion industry is a perfect example. In the past, the biggest challenge for brands was keeping up with the latest trends. It's not that easy today.
Modern consumers demand fast, reliable service from online retailers. Fashion brands must meet these needs with a resilient supply chain that adapts to changing trends and market uncertainties. COVID-19 put this to the test, and businesses still face hurdles when sourcing materials and maintaining a strong goods-to-person process.
Customer expectations have shifted drastically, creating even more challenges for companies. To compete, fashion brands must consider the following consumer trends:
- An emphasis on sustainable products and practices
- An omni channel customer experience
- Affordability
- The popularity of locally sourced materials
- Next-day shipping
On top of meeting customers’ needs, fashion companies also have to contend with economic fluctuations, labor shortages, and geopolitical issues. These factors add pressure to supply chains and force companies to take a hard look at their logistics operations.
Many companies are responding by implementing automated systems into their fulfillment process. The result––a faster, more energy-efficient supply chain that supports growth.
Introducing SmartPocket
Obstacles such as labor shortages and changes to customer ordering behavior complicate long-term investment decisions. TGW Logistics designed SmartPocket with these obstacles in mind. Our pocket sorter streamlines the fulfillment process and sets your system up for growth.
The Downsides of a Conventional Pocket Sorter
Using automated sorters to facilitate a smoother material handling process is nothing new. Conventional sorters have been around for years. They operate via overhead chain conveyor systems that automatically pick up items, transport them in pockets, and release them when they reach a predetermined destination.
While conventional conveyor systems can handle high volumes, they become a financial liability outside peak times. Traditional sorters take up large amounts of space in fulfillment centers and require significant energy to operate. Plus, they’re only scalable in large increments, and their cumbersome designs make retrofitting an existing facility costly and time-consuming.
How SmartPocket Works
SmartPocket is a unique hanging goods conveyor that uses small autonomous mobile robots to carry pockets to their destinations. These sensor-controlled robots move autonomously and can react to their environment, responding to unexpected situations when needed. This helps SmartPocket achieve a level of speed and efficiency unavailable with conventional sorters.
Our dynamic mobile robots maximize energy savings by only transporting pockets that need to be moved. This offers a cost-effective alternative to conventional pocket sorters that waste energy with unneeded operations when limited pockets are required for fulfillment.
Future-Proof Your Growing Business
Operational stability is difficult to maintain in an ever-changing market landscape. A resilient supply chain equipped to meet demand forecasts and customer expectations is more important than ever.
We designed SmartPocket to grow alongside your business. Additional modules can be easily integrated, ensuring operations run smoothly when order volume increases. For example, companies in the fashion and apparel industry must fulfill orders, accommodate the return process, and maintain an organized storage system. Automated conveyor systems with fast, energy-efficient, and adaptable operation ensure these processes work harmoniously.
SmartPocket also facilitates the material handling of a wide range of goods at different sizes and volumes. Whether you need to increase your warehouse capacity or respond to seasonal demand fluctuations, the system adapts to business changes.
Optimal Redundancy and Reliability
A successful supply chain requires consistent operational efficiency. If your logistics center experiences regular downtime, customer churn is inevitable.
Even a small system failure can have a domino effect in a fulfillment center. A single malfunction may lead to longer delivery times, inventory disruptions, increased costs, and damage to customer satisfaction.
SmartPocket helps you avoid these headaches. Our automated sorter optimizes redundancy, ensuring your system continues to run smoothly in the event of a component failure. This is a reliable alternative to conventional systems, which are significantly impacted when a single, small component stops working.
In practice, SmartPocket ensures your processes don’t come to a halt in the face of unexpected problems. Continuous operational readiness significantly minimizes downtime and promotes a smooth workflow for employees.
Seamless Installation With a Plug-and-Play Approach
In ever-evolving industries, scaling requires speed. Your logistics system must adapt quickly to trends and consumer demands that affect volume and the types of goods you handle.
You can’t risk extended downtime when upgrading your operation. It’s crucial to seamlessly incorporate the tools you need into your current infrastructure with as little disruption as possible. A reasonable timeframe for implementation is also key to ensuring a fast return on investment (ROI).
This is another area where SmartPocket excels. Our plug-and-play approach allows for quick and easy integration with your current system. We can install the overhead rail system and have your new operation up and running within six months. Our approach ensures a smooth transition with ongoing operations by significantly minimizing installation and commissioning times.
Invest in SmartPocket Rail Conveyor Systems
TGW Logistics’ motto for SmartPocket is “Stop paying for potential!” With low initial investments and operating costs, our innovative system offers a scalable solution that minimizes investment risk and makes scalability possible.
Our innovative pocket sorter sets new standards in supply chain automation. Compared to traditional solutions, SmartPocket leaves no potential unused and can be tailored to the growing needs of your client base.
Our rail conveyor systems offer significant cost savings during the initial investment stage and ongoing operation. We ensure maximum efficiency and flexibility, so your business can shift to meet customer demands.
Contact us to learn more about SmartPocket.