Warehouse management documents are an important part of the overall supply chain flow. The workflow processes in which they are transacted imply a workload that, if done manually, requires a very onerous commitment with routine and time-consuming activities. For example, the classic goods-in phase in which the operator has to take delivery of the material, check that the delivery note conforms to what is to be deposited and what is indicated in the order, enter this information into an ad hoc application and then proceed to the correct placement on the shelves. Today, it is possible to automate processes related to warehouse management documents thanks to RPA (Robotic Process Automation) systems. This type of software, in fact, allows the same repetitive tasks that an employee would have to perform, freeing him from low-value tasks and enhancing his professional competence instead.
One of Beta 80 Group's Business Units is dedicated precisely to the automation of processes, including those falling under the logistics chain. The use of RPA technology, therefore, is included within a wider offer that, on a case-by-case basis, takes account of the efficiency and savings needs that the organisation is aiming for and that can also be satisfied thanks to automation. This means that matching robot software to warehouse management documents cannot be a standardized proposal, but it must start from the actual situation of the company and its stakeholders who, in this specific case, are above all the suppliers. Beta 80 Group, in this sense, can boast both up-to-date knowledge of the main vendors of RPA tools and many years' experience in various sectors, together with vertical expertise in the logistics sphere, derived from the WMS (Warehouse Management System) solutions successfully brought to the market. All this ensures that the RPA adopted by the company can meet its real needs.
In an ideal world, all actors in the supply chain would be integrated in a homogeneous digital flow in which, for example, delivery notes would already arrive as a pdf attachment via e-mail and then be 'captured' by the RPA and entered into the management software. In the real world, however, there is not always this level of integration, because warehouse management documents often arrive in paper form. Therefore, they must first be scanned and from that scan there must be cognitive services capable of recognising the number and date of the delivery note, the quantity, the order number, the identity of the supplier etc. Only then can this data be historicised, so that the delivery note enters the passive cycle as a true copy for accounting purposes. While waiting for the entire supply chain to be fully automated, this does not detract from the fact that partial automations can nevertheless be realised, and the processes of goods receipt in the warehouse, made smoother and more efficient by RPA, are a prime example of this.
In implementing RPA to support the workflow of warehouse management documents, Beta 80 Group enables the company to achieve its objective in a pragmatic way. To do this, as well as considering the starting context in which the robot software must be exploited to the full, it accompanies the end user, whether a business profile or belonging to the IT department, towards an ability to use the technological tool self-sufficiently. At the same time, it establishes a relationship of trust with the customer so that he understands the cultural benefits of automation beyond the individual solution. Introducing an RPA tool, however effective, must pave the way for identifying those areas and processes that could benefit from automation. To this end, it is necessary to define an automation roadmap resulting from a mature awareness of the opportunities, return on investment and operational risks which accompany the adoption of a new technology. In this way, RPA will be able to express its full potential, as happens with warehouse management documents.