Topic about Digital Control System Engineering Term Paper

Application of Digital Control Systems in Warehouse ManagementNameInstitutional AffiliationDate
Introduction
Digital control systems are part of our lives in different ways. They are used to control our electrical appliances, auto-motives, entertainment centers and they have greatly contributed towards the digital transformation in different fields. Digital control systems are controlled by microprocessors, computers, and digital electronics. One of the fields that have been transformed by the digital control systems is warehousing. Rapid development in the logistics industry has necessitated the utilization of technologies that ensure high speed, high efficiency, and accurate delivery of goods and services. Digital control systems have transformed warehouse management in different ways. The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the reasons why it is necessary to implement a digital control system in a warehouse and the different ways that it can improve operations. The paper also evaluates some of the instances where the digital control systems have been used and worked effectively. This paper draws from the findings of other researchers in this field.
Digital Control Systems
According to Andiyappillai (2020), one of the major reasons for implementing the digital control systems in warehouse management is to meet customer expectations in warehouse distribution CITATION And201 \l 1033 (Andiyappillai, 2020). The logistics model diagram usually places the customer at the center of the operations that are taking place within the system. Apart from improving the delivery of the services to the customers, the digital control system is focused on bringing the business partners together by improving their communication. Each of these business partners contributes a lot to the operations in the supply chain and by bringing them together, they can be able to communicate and maintain an accurate inventory to avoid unfulfilled demand cases for the customers CITATION And201 \l 1033 (Andiyappillai, 2020). Assis and Sagawa (2018) in their research also highlight that the digital control systems play a major role in helping the company to obtain a competitive advantage. This is mostly achieved through improved speed and efficient delivery of services within the supply chain (Assis & Sagawa, 2018).
Another common advantage associated with the digital control systems according to Mingxing and Xingwen (2018) is the saving of costs that are associated with warehouse management systems. The researchers note that several large enterprises are implementing automated management systems as a way of saving the whooping costs associated with warehouse management operations. There is a reduction of the associated manual labor costs since most of the tools used such as the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) or the stacker usually carries out both the inbound and the outbound operations (Mingxing, Jian, & Xingwen, 2018). Error is a common issue in warehouse management and if it is not handled appropriately, it can affect the operations of the warehouse. Muha and Skerlic (2017) note that one of the major reasons for the implementation of digital control systems in warehouse management is to reduce errors. The warehouse process is drawn to errors as it usually involves different processes and equipment. The researchers, however, note that the implementation of the digital control systems will not eliminate the errors in the warehouse is the implementation does not take into account the individual processes and how they are related to each other (Skerlic & Muha, 2017). Similarly, Andiyappillai (2020) also notes that the lack of proper implementation of the warehouse management systems is one of the major reasons that is making different enterprises not to realize the associated benefits fully. The researcher notes that the major and minor mistakes that are committed during warehouse management activities can lead to high losses within the supply chain (Andiyappillai, 2020). For instance, an enterprise can lose a business opportunity if they deliver goods to the wrong place or deliver the wrong well to the customers. Ineffective warehouse and supply chain management can also lead to inadequate supplies meaning that the goods may not be able to reach the affected customers.
The implementation of digital control systems is also closely associated with the development of the appropriate tools that can be used in the process of data analytics. According to Skerlic and Muha (2017), errors that are associated with technology occur since the warehouse process is continuously changing and the implementation of the digital control system means that there is a great reduction in the number of manual operations thus increasing the data need for data processing machines. The researchers also note that due to the increased data analysis, most of the personnel in warehouses are now interacting with data more than the physical goods (Skerlic & Muha, 2017). While the implementation of the digital control systems reduces errors within the warehouse in a certain way, it can also produce errors of a different kind that are mostly caused by the technologies themselves. Reason (2011) expresses similar views by indicating that in an attempt to do away with the errors associated with a human resource in warehouse management, the designers of automated systems have created an environment where there are new errors (Reason, 2011). These new kinds of errors according to the researcher can be more detrimental than the errors they were trying to avoid when creating the system. To be more specific, the researcher points out some errors that are associated with the use of digital control systems in warehouse management. Such errors include; more demanding tasks becoming more challenging, the skills of the operators of the high tech systems also need to be updated regularly and high investment costs whose returns cannot be necessarily justified.
One of the common digital technologies that are used in warehouse management is Radio frequency identification (RFID).RFID is automatic object identification and data collection that utilizes the radio waves (Wang, Chen, & Xie, 2010). It usually involves the radio frequency transmitter and the receiver that work together that is they transmit data to each other. Liukkonen (2015) notes that RFID technology is intended to increase the efficiency of the manufacturing process by reorganizing and optimizing the internal operations such as purchase, warehousing, management and the distribution of materials that are used in production as well as the external supply chain system (Liukkonen, 2015). Similarly, Wang, Chen, and Xie (2010) notes that due to the wireless nature of RFID, it is quite easier to identify the individual objects in the production automatically thus increasing the potential of the various applications which makes the manufacturing process to be efficient and productive (Wang, Chen, & Xie, 2010). Most of the current RFID applications in the manufacturing sector are driven by external mandate bodies. For instance, the American retailer giant Wal-Mart was the first one to implement a form of RFID using the electronic code that would help the company to track the finished goods just before the shipping process in the supply chain. Apart from the manufacturing sector, RFID is also used in process monitoring, management, and quality control. The ultimate reason for the use of RFID in this operation is to reduce human error and related manual activities (Holmstrom & Gutowski, 2017). In supply chain management, RFID ensures that the supply chain can deliver real-time location information of the individual products. That means that the company can easily locate the product as it goes through the chain that is from the manufacturer to the supplier and finally to the end-user (Skerlic & Muha, 2017). The newest and modern application of RFID is the monitoring of the product cycle. This is achieved through the concept of PLM where the company tracks the entire life cycle of the product that is from the conception stage, the design, manufacturing, service, and disposal. Research on this type of application reveals few sources since the application of RFID in this field is still in the early stages.
Intensive research by Wang, Chen, and Xie (2010) illustrates how RFID can be applied in the tobacco industry to improve wareho...