Smart Warehouse vs. Traditional Warehouse - Review

The purpose of this paper is to review and compare between an automated warehouse and traditional warehouse based on  processes or activities, problems, performance, and efficiency. The paper aims to review how new technologies could add value to processes and operations of warehousing and achieve economies of scale by transferring to an automated warehouse, or a traditional could add value without considering the new technologies and innovations in the current SCM.  Furthermore, the paper aims to review the pros and cons for both methods taking two examples; one in Bahrain and another in China as the latter is considered one of fasting country in developing and adopting new technologies in the world. The current state of warehousing operations will be  analyzed by the author in both types, using a literature overview and current status of typical functions and operations in warehousing and review how technologies in practice lead to promising new research directions.