Pick outside the reach of AMRs with Mobile Fulfillment app

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), like 6 River Systems’ (6RS) Chuck, continue to gain widespread adoption by automating fulfillment operations with a focus on each-picking optimization. Oftentimes, the operation’s SKUs are small enough to fit onto the vendor’s picking AMR platform and the aisles are wide enough for AMRs to travel – making it easy to migrate the entire pick operation over to AMRs.

However, some logistics providers may encounter constraints when exploring the implementation of AMRs for picking that are related to product attributes (size or weight) or the operating environment (aisle widths and height of pick location).

The problem with non-AMR compatible orders

If products are too large for the AMR platform, stored in high bay locations out of reach of standard ladders, or there is a significant percentage of narrow/dead-end aisles, the customer needs to separate their order pool into AMR and non-AMR compatible orders. Fulfilling orders from two different pools means using multiple systems which presents the following challenges:

• Procuring additional IT resources to implement and maintain multi-system integrations and order allocation rulesets.
• Adding operations management overhead to track orders across multiple systems.
• Continuing to train new and existing associates across multiple systems.
• Maintaining the systems themselves (annual licenses, hardware maintenance and more).
• Constant operations management load balancing of staffing across multiple systems based on the real-time dynamics of inbound orders, which is especially critical now with ever-increasing customer delivery expectations.

Introducing the Mobile Fulfillment app

The Mobile Fulfillment app helps operations overcome those hurdles associated with AMR picking. Picks incompatible with your AMR (Chuck), either due to product size, weight, or warehouse location, can be fulfilled with the Mobile Fulfillment app in conjunction with any third-party equipment ranging from simple bakers racks and u-boat carts, to walkie riders, forklifts, and man-ups.

Mobile Fulfillment app benefits?

The Mobile Fulfillment app enables logistics providers to:

• Take advantage of our rich allocation, batching and prioritization algorithms for AMR compatible and non-compatible products to maximize efficiency while also ensuring SLAs are met.
• Reduce your upfront and recurring burden on IT resources through integration into a single picking system. All orders are waved to the 6RS system which determines optimal equipment to fulfill orders with rules maintained in the system – such as product size and warehouse location rules.
• Track all orders in a single management console, work with a single vendor’s customer support team, and stop load balancing staffing across multiple pick operations.
• Train associates to use one simple system to perform multiple fulfillment tasks (including putaway, pick, sort, and packout). 6RS provides one modern, intuitive, and common user experience across Chuck, Mobile Fulfillment app, and our Universal Terminal for sortation and packout.

Multiple beta sites are expected to be live by early second quarter. General availability for all customers is expected in late summer 2023.

Learn more about the Mobile Fulfillment app.