Warehouse automation and robotics are transforming the way goods are stored, moved, and processed in warehouses. They can improve efficiency, accuracy, safety, and productivity, while reducing costs, errors, and waste. But how can you implement them effectively in your warehouse operations? Here are some best practices to consider.
Before investing in any automation or robotics solution, you need to understand your current and future warehouse needs. What are your goals, challenges, and pain points? How do you measure your performance and quality? What are your space, budget, and labor constraints? How flexible and scalable do you need your system to be? Conducting a thorough analysis of your warehouse processes, workflows, and data will help you identify the areas where automation and robotics can add the most value and address the most critical issues.
Why do I need to automate a process? First and foremost, take it clearly, 1. What are the major challenges that do not make the company and team go to sleep well? 2. Are we getting from point A to B in the best accurate time and effort? 3. Any showstoppers? 4. Write everything down, and review the KPI dashboards, it there are none, create them and update them accordingly. Addressing those impasses and team meetings resolves many day-to-day challenges - before thinking about an automated tool or customization.
This step is the most important. While assessing your needs you have to find out the cost of implementation. Not all case automation is cost-effective and may be unnecessary.
There are many types of automation and robotics technologies available for warehouses, such as automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), automated guided vehicles (AGVs), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), robotic picking and packing systems, and warehouse management software (WMS). Each technology has its own benefits, limitations, and requirements, so you need to choose the ones that best suit your needs, objectives, and capabilities. You also need to consider how well they integrate with your existing infrastructure, equipment, and software, and how easy they are to operate, maintain, and upgrade.
If the sync is not successful with the new technology then productivity will be less. Also, everybody has to get familiar with the technology, that why training is also needed.
Implementing automation and robotics in your warehouse is not a simple task. It requires careful planning, coordination, and communication among all the stakeholders involved, such as warehouse managers, staff, vendors, and customers. You need to define your scope, timeline, budget, and expected outcomes, as well as assign roles and responsibilities, and establish clear communication channels. You also need to prepare your warehouse for the installation, testing, and deployment of the new technology, which may involve modifying your layout, workflows, and inventory. Moreover, you need to train your staff on how to use, monitor, and troubleshoot the new system, and how to adapt to the changes in their roles and tasks.
Once you have implemented automation and robotics in your warehouse, you need to monitor and measure their performance and impact. You need to collect and analyze data on key metrics, such as throughput, accuracy, efficiency, quality, safety, and customer satisfaction. You also need to solicit feedback from your staff, vendors, and customers on their experience and satisfaction with the new system. Based on the data and feedback, you need to identify any issues, gaps, or opportunities for improvement, and make adjustments accordingly. You also need to keep up with the latest trends and innovations in warehouse automation and robotics, and evaluate if you need to upgrade or expand your system.
We've seen picker bots that move in-between picking and packing go from 110 units per hour pre-bot, up to 407 units per hour post implementation - and with a reduced error rate from 3.5 down to 1 percent. The workers were more energized at the end of the day as well, since bots did the heavy lugging/lifting.
Implementing automation and robotics in your warehouse is not a one-time project. It is an ongoing process of innovation and improvement. You need to foster a culture of innovation in your warehouse, where you encourage your staff to embrace change, learn new skills, and share ideas. You also need to reward and recognize their efforts and achievements, and provide them with opportunities for growth and development. By creating a positive and supportive work environment, you can motivate your staff to work with the new technology, and not against it, and to contribute to the success of your warehouse operations.
Not only implementation but also the development of the technology and process should be continued. Technology changes, so we have to adopt it for effective result.
Once you have implemented automation and robotics in your warehouse, you need to monitor and measure their performance and impact. You need to collect and analyze data on key metrics, such as throughput, accuracy, efficiency, quality, safety, and customer satisfaction.