It’s never particularly pleasant to face the prospect of having to upgrade the technology at the core of your warehouse. The reason being that not only can it constitute a pretty hefty expense, but there’s also the disruption and learning curve involved while the new system is being implemented.

Still, these are relatively small prices to pay, should you currently be in a position where an outdated technology is providing you with more problems than solutions. A substandard warehouse inventory control system can result in anything from on-going inventory issues to pallets being loaded onto the wrong trucks right through to catastrophic data loss. So regardless of expense, it’s important to ensure that your own warehouse technology is not allowed to fade into obscurity.

But what kinds of warning signs should you be looking for, in terms of warehousing technology that may be going out of date?

Lack of Compatibility with New Technology

First of all, one immediate sign it could be time for an upgrade is when the technology you are currently using isn’t compatible with the latest technology on the market. It could be that you currently have systems that are not compatible with the latest operating systems, or perhaps hardware that isn’t compatible with the vast majority of contemporary hardware being developed and launched. The thing to remember is that just because the technology and hardware you are currently using may be getting the job done, this doesn’t mean it is getting the job done efficiently.

Frequent Crashes

While it’s common to replace physical installations around the hardware that continually show signs of damage and degradation, the same can’t be said about warehouse technology. If you find yourself working with technology and hardware that is constantly crashing, providing you with the erroneous data or generally getting in the way of what could be smooth processes, you have to ask yourself whether it’s really worth holding on to. The simple fact of the matter is that when technology begins showing these kinds of warning signs, it is only a matter of time until it fails completely. As such, it’s better to tackle the problem ahead of time, rather than waiting until things really do hit crisis point.

It Doesn’t Have the Latest Features

Last but not least, it’s worth remembering that the newest warehousing technology on the market today has the kinds of advanced features and functionalities that are designed to improve and optimise performance on a daily basis. Just because you are currently getting by without these features does not mean that your business could not be improved significantly, were they to be introduced. Even if there is a learning curve and some amount of disruption involved, the benefits more than outweigh the costs. So even if you’re not quite ready to take the plunge just yet, it still might be worth speaking to the experts to find out exactly what kinds of advances have come along, since you last took a good look at your own warehouse technology.