You may have heard automation today − sounds cool but just purchasing technology because it is out there does not equal a good warehouse strategy. Before anything − the business has to believe that it knows which problem they are trying to solve.
You can improve the storage, movement, and inventory handling using an automated storage and retrieval system. But its value is highly dependent on how well the system aligns with the warehouse, products, and daily tasks.
These are some conventional assumptions worth reconsidering.
Myth1: Automation will Replace Everyone
This is among the most common concerns.
An automated storage and retrieval system is not always meant to drive people out of the warehouse. Rather, it can automate repetitive motion and free up employees for judgment work, supervision work, quality checks, and problem-solving.
Workers might reduce walking, lifting, as well as time spent searching for items.
Automation transforms rather than just takes away the work.
Myth Two: Having More Storage Space is the End Goal
Capacity of storage is an important parameter, but certainly it is just one part in the whole picture.
A vertical automatic system can better use vertical space and organize inventory. But the larger advantage may be in eliminating excess motion and creating easier access to goods.
Even if increasing storage capacity is not the primary goal of a warehouse, it can benefit from automation.
Myth 3: Each Warehouse Requires the Same Philosophy
There is no universal solution.
A small component storage facility will have other requirements than a heavy pallet handling facility. The setup that a business would need if demand is smooth too can be different from the one which has jagged seasonal rushes.
Possible technologies include:
- Automated cranes
- Shuttle systems
- Vertical lift modules
- Conveyors
- Robotic storage equipment
Depending on the type of product you make, your volume of orders, how well you can build products in a single building or a facility and your current workflow – anyone will be right for you.
Reality Check: Software Matters Too
But an efficient warehouse cannot function only on machines.
Software is necessary for automating how goods are kept, keeping track of inventory levels/ movements, and monitoring the movement or retrieval of items in an automated storage & retrieval system scenario. Integrations with other WMS systems can be equally important.
Accurate data is essential. Automation cannot solve the fundamental challenge if software is unaware of where inventory exists.
4th Myth: Automation Automatically Makes Operations Quicker
Not necessarily.
An automation process that is poorly designed can also create bottlenecks. When some aspect of a system goes faster than another, products will queue and the process will stall.
Businesses need to map their existing workflow and see where delays actually happen before going into implementation.
The weaknesses you have identified should be targeted by automation.
Technology Should Serve the Right Function
An automated storage and retrieval system have the greatest value when it is built into the warehouse rather than changing the warehouse to meet the technology.
If well-thought of in advance, automation may result in better inventory management, fewer non-value-adding movements, more effective use of space, and will ensure a smoother flow of goods.
The best investment is not the most advanced system. This is the one that hits warehouse problems in all the right places.
