Key Performance Measures and Digital-Era Technologies in Warehouses

Abstract

The manuscript aims to benchmark warehousing industries in developing and developed countries in terms of performance measures from the perspective of industry professionals and the potential impact of digital-era technologies. Compared with the US-based Warehousing Education Research Council's reports published in 2018 and 2019 this paper presents that on-time shipments is the most critical performance measure in Turkey in both 2018 and 2019 while order picking accuracy is in the US. This study also presented that mobile technologies are considered as the most influential digital-era technology in terms of supporting ongoing improvements in warehousing operations and providing a competitive advantage to the companies in both Turkey and the US. Moreover some digital-era technologies such as driverless vehicles or drones 3D printing and simulation are considered the least supportive or competitive technologies according to the professionals in Turkey.