Proteus Software and TouchStar Technologies, respectively suppliers of warehouse management systems and mobile computing solutions to the supply chain sector, have joined forces to offer warehouse and distribution centre operators a new reporting service that, it is claimed, will allow energy efficiency savings of between and 15 and 25% to be made.

The energy, and therefore cost reductions, are achieved, Proteus and TouchStar say, as a result of a new approach to warehouse operations analysis that highlights those aspects of a storage facility that could be undertaken more efficiently. Any warehouse manager worth their salt knows that the way in which a warehouse is laid out and the routes that materials handling equipment takes between order picks and/or put-away will have a substantial impact on the amount of energy used at any site.

Using the tools supplied by the two companies and simply mapping the best routes around a warehouse for replenishment and order picking tasks, notable manpower, energy and forklift fuel economies can be quickly achieved. TouchStar Technologies’ marketing executive, Karen Taylor, explains:

“By analysing a company’s warehouse operation, we can identify areas where efficiencies can be made. We will then deliver a full report on the potential productivity and energy efficiency gains that are possible. Many warehouse companies have realised the benefits of reducing energy consumption by switching to more efficient lighting systems and cutting heating costs, but are still wasting thousands of pounds each year because their own internal logistics processes are fundamentally inefficient. Our reporting system will help flag-up areas for improvement.”

To spread the word the two companies will shortly host a free to attend seminar dedicated to increasing efficiency within the warehouse. On Thursday November 13th Proteus and TouchStar will be hosting a seminar dedicated to increasing efficiency within the warehouse. The event takes place at Proteus’s Birmingham offices on Thursday November 13th and will feature two keynote presentations plus a panel discussion in the morning, a buffet lunch followed further keynote addresses and a demonstration of the Proteus/TouchStar solution in the afternoon.

The two companies have impressive individual portfolios having both worked for over twenty five years around the globe and for numerous blue chip clients such as Coca Cola, British Airways and Ford and with software controlling millions of square feet of warehousing. Linda Rodway, marketing development manager, Proteus Software, comments:

“Effective energy management is now firmly established as a discipline that all companies must embrace if bottom-line profits are to be maximised and the need to operate ‘sustainably’ is now regarded as an essential business tool. We believe that Proteus and TouchStar’s new service offering represents a major breakthrough in the way companies operate their warehouses.”