Eliminate Slow Logistics: Weigh Vehicles 93% Faster with Weighbridge Automation Solutions

Trucks entering a logistics facility can weigh anywhere from 3,000 to 36,000 kilograms. How do you plan to weigh them efficiently and ensure a smooth logistics operation? That’s precisely why we need to discuss the benefits of weighbridge automation.  

Well, you need a system in place that effectively automates the inbound and outbound vehicle weighing process. This is why we recommend you invest in weighbridge automation — an element in any Logistics Process Automation (LPA) solution. 

But before we discuss the benefits of weighbridge automation, let’s get to basics and learn about weighbridges from inside and out. We will talk about the importance of weighbridges, existing challenges, and how weighbridge automation helps overcome them.  

TABLE OF CONTENT

Let’s get started, shall we?  

Understanding weighbridge fundamentals and advantages

Weighbridges help calculate and track the weight of vehicle loads, ensure compliance with weight limits, track the weight of shipments, and improve efficiency and productivity. Here are the key advantages of a weighbridge in any logistics process —    

Weighbridges save time

Weighbridges, especially ones with in-motion facilities, allow vehicle weighing without the driver having to step out of the vehicle. Such dynamic measurement of vehicles helps manufacturing and retail companies save time and effort.   

Helps improve safety

Companies must ensure the safety of their employees and vehicles. To facilitate the quest, weighbridges help monitor the change in weight or balance in a vehicle and determine if the vehicle is fit for usage. In other words, a weighbridge can be a medium to load vehicles properly and check for maintenance.   

Avoids business loss

A properly working weighbridge ensures that vehicles are loaded according to their capacities. Weighbridges help prevent overloading and partial loading of vehicles. As a vehicle is properly loaded, the chances of goods damage are significantly decreased. In this way, an efficient loading system keeps companies from financial losses.    

Prevents congestion within facility

Traffic management is an important aspect of any highly functional logistics facility. To ensure efficient movement of vehicles within the facility, we offer a complete Logistics Process Automation solution that comes loaded with weighbridge automation. The idea is to keep the vehicles inside the facility moving efficiently, without them having to idle or increase fuel consumption.   

Boosts logistics productivity

With the Logistics Process Automation solution, you can even generate reports of the weighbridge stations and store them in a centralized location. The data from weighbridge stations can be directly pulled and stored on the centralised server. Thus, logistics facilities can focus on productivity and efficiency while ensuring an error-free logistics process.   

What are the challenges of manual weighbridges?

Although manned weighbridges have several challenges, the most concerning challenge is human intervention. This is because it leads to more human errors, which can accumulate into major inefficiencies and productivity issues. Here are some of the key challenges of manual weighbridges —  

Heavy capital investments and operational costs

Indeed, companies will incur upfront capital investment as they will need to buy a weighbridge system. You will have to purchase the weighbridge and pay for its installation in the logistics facility. Additionally, there will be costs related to weighbridge management when you hire booth operators and workers for weighbridge terminal maintenance. The more weighbridges you install, the higher the capital investment.   

Heavy reliance on booth operators

As you employ booth operators, you are opening the logistics process to potential human errors. A weighbridge booth operator oversees the process and is responsible for documenting the weighing of inbound and outbound vehicles and associated tolerances. Besides human errors, the decision to employ booth operators can result in malpractices like bribery, theft, and more. This is critical as the goods might be of high monetary value.   

Lacks transparency

The booth operator will be responsible for documenting the weighbridge process and ensuring transparency in the weighbridge process. However, the paper-based weighbridge process lacks transparency as it can lead to micro-level malpractices. These malpractices can gradually compound into significant financial loss.  

Poor time and resource management

Manual weighbridge systems can make it challenging for companies to manage inbound and outbound vehicles. This is because the booth operator is solely responsible for checking the vehicle registration and ensuring efficient movement of vehicles toward the weighbridge. Without automation, the system can misfire and cause long queues of vehicles — leading to congestion and delays at the weighing station and other stations within the facility.  

Lacks security, prone to fraud and malpractice

A manned weighbridge system, or manual logistics system in general, lacks transparency and operational centralization. Since booth operators run the weighbridge system, the logistics company might be subject to massive security risks. As supply-chain managers cannot individually supervise the manual weighbridge process, fraudulent documentation of vehicle weights can lead to poor business operations.   

Read more –Quit Manual Processes: Achieve 20% Higher Efficiency with Logistics Process Automation 

Eleven key benefits of weighbridge automation in logistics

Now that you are well-acquainted with the concept of weighbridge automation, let’s dive deeper to learn the eleven benefits of using weighbridge automation in logistics — 

1. No need for booth operators

Weighbridge automation within Logistics Process Automation makes capturing and processing data generated at weighbridge stations easier. Without human intervention, the measurements and tolerances are directly fed into the centralized system. In other words, companies no longer need to allocate supervisors or operators at the weighbridge station. At the same time, supply chain managers will have fewer people to monitor and control — allocating more time to operations that matter more. 

2. Improved preciseness and accuracy

Logistics processes and operations tend to experience improved accuracy the moment companies replace manual workforce with tech-driven automation. Weighbridge automation prevents documentation-related discrepancies when measuring vehicle loads. Human errors are easily overcome with weighbridge automation, which leads to improved preciseness and accuracy.   

3. Ensures an accelerated weighbridge

Speed is everything. Logistics facilities that foster accelerated operations often set themselves for higher productivity. Since automation quickens vehicle measurement, your logistics facility can measure a higher number of vehicles efficiently. Not just that, weighbridge automation pushes companies to design a workflow that allows accelerated movement of vehicles on the weighbridge, something that Logistics Process Automation solutions help with.  

4. Delivers efficient multitasking

A typical weighbridge process is run with the help of cameras devised with RFID scanners, traffic lights, position sensors, boom barriers, and information displays. The operation of all these elements on the weighbridge can be automated. In other words, you don’t have to deploy multiple supervisors on the weighbridge station. One automated system can easily multitask for you.  

5. SAP/ERP Integration enabled

Weighbridge automation under Logistics Process Automation solutions can be seamlessly integrated with SAP. Our LPA solution makes it easier for companies to couple their logistics operation with SAP-driven ERP integrations. This way, you can do away with a paper-based weighbridge process or manual entry and integrate the process with a centralised system. Moreover, SAP enhancements make it easier for supervisors to access logistics-related information.   

6. Reliable security and compliance

Since you’ll have an unmanned weighbridge process, it will become easier to prevent thefts of valuable goods and related fraud at the weighbridge station. This is because the system later generates insightful reports that highlight minor and major discrepancies. At the same time, weighbridge automation in LPA solutions ensures proper compliance with government regulations and standards.

7. Eco-friendly and sustainable solution

Weighbridge automation is an excellent way to demonstrate your stand for sustainability. With a logistics process automation solution, you can get rid of manual data entry operations and even eliminate orthodox monitoring and reporting. In other words, you will require no more paperwork to handle the logistics processes and pledge to an eco-friendly logistics facility. 

8. Decreases overhead costs

As we are actively moving towards a sustainable and futuristic logistics facility, it positively reflects on our bottom line. With weighbridge automation, you can effectively reduce overhead costs related to manual workforce management. Also, the tools needed to manually operate the weighbridge are not required when automation takes over the logistics process. All this leads to lower operational costs.  

9. No fear of data theft

Data theft is a thing of the past as workers are no longer responsible for feeding weighbridge-related information into the system. With logistics process automation software, you can directly pull the information from load cells and store it in the server. Thus, automation allows secured monitoring, reporting, and storage of data in the system servers.  

10. Secure operational scalability

Do you need to add extra features to your weighbridge automation system? It is easy since most logistics process automation solutions, especially the ones we offer, facilitate incredible flexibility, adaptability, and scalability. Therefore, there will be no need to install a completely new logistics process automation system for your logistics facility.  

11. Real-time supervision is the top benefit of weighbridge automation

The supervisors in the logistics facilities can monitor the weighbridge process or any other process in the supply chain workflow remotely. The data generated through automated systems is available in real-time on mobile devices. An easy-to-use dashboard facilitates effortless tracking and supervision, eventually leading to better decision-making.    Who needs weighbridge automation?  

NOTE: If you own a weighbridge in your logistics facility, you will need weighbridge automation and other logistics process automation solutions to improve productivity and profitability. Weighbridge automation matters for your company if it belongs to manufacturing, retail, pharmaceutical, chemical, transportation, mining, food processing, construction, and other key industries.  

Besides, companies looking to introduce technological innovations to their logistics facility should consider weighbridge automation. However, we suggest they aim at complete logistics process automation as weighbridge automation comes with the complete package.  

Which weighbridges can you automate?

There are six main types of weighbridges, and you can automate them all. Here are the different types of weighbridges you can automate with logistics process automation solutions —  

• Above-ground weighbridge automation  
• Semi-pit weighbridge automation  
• Custom semi-pit weighbridge automation  
• Fully in-ground weighbridge automation  
• Multiple-deck weighbridge automation  
• Portable weighbridge automation  

NOTE: All of these weighbridges can be effectively automated using our Logistics Process Automation solution. Simply leave a message below and we’ll connect to show how. 

Government’s initiative to introduce automation across logistics

New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) converted all its weighbridges to unmanned automated weighbridges under the initiative “Ease of Doing Business.”

Source: The Hindu

Here’s what the authority figured out about introducing automated weighbridges. 

• With weighbridge automation, the whole process of weighbridge will be completed within 25 seconds. Whereas, the conventional weighing process took up to six minutes.
• Weighbridge automation ensures fast turn-around time for trucks.
• There’s no need for drivers to alight from the truck during the weighing process.
• Weighbridge automation helps save fuel for trucks, stores weighing details in a server for retrieval, and makes auditing easier.

Invest to reap top benefits of weighbridge automation

If you are searching for the benefits of weighbridge automation, we highly recommend you check out solutions that can automate your entire logistics process.  

In other words, a logistics process automation solution doesn’t just automate a weighbridge but also provides automated security checks and parking automation. Besides, it can facilitate security compliance and even provide e-way bill integration.  

Adopting a logistics process automation solution ensures seamless automation and integrations, which results in —    

• Improved scalability  
• Improved turn-around-time  
• Reduced expensive errors  
• Better logistics integration  
• Intelligent analytics reporting, and more.  

The best thing is that you don’t have to search for logistics process automation solutions as FleetRobo provides an exceptional and groundbreaking Logistics Process Automation (LPA) solution. 

With FleetRobo, you can effectively take control of your logistics facility and eliminate the challenges of manual logistics processes. Here are some performance-oriented features FleetRobo’s Logistics Process Automation delivers —  

• Real-time visibility  
• Route optimization  
• SMS and email alert  
• Paperless documentation  
• Driver and assets safety  
• Analytics detailed reports  
• Vehicle immobilizer  
• User-friendly dashboards  
• Web and mobile access  

Therefore, manufacturing and retail companies looking to automate their logistics facility shouldn’t just stop at weighbridge automation. They should move ahead and go all in with a complete inbound and outbound logistics automation solution. 

Final thoughts on the benefits of weighbridge automation

There you have it. We shared everything you need to know about the benefits of weighbridge automation. We worked our way through the fundamentals of weighbridges and how they help logistics companies stay on top of their operations. At the same time, we mentioned the critical challenges of operating weighbridges manually.  

To sum up, we found out how automation in the weighbridge process is essential to an efficient logistics operation. Therefore, logistics companies across manufacturing and retail can boost their productivity and efficiency by investing in logistics process automation solutions.  

We highly recommend you reap the benefits of weighbridge automation and move towards a completely automated logistics process — an imperative to successful market domination. Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments. Stay tuned for more informative posts related to logistics process automation.