8 warehouse automation areas you should look into

With the globalization of the E-commerce and the B2B supply chains more and more large companies look into automating their processes to keep up with the ever-increasing competition. One of the bigger tasks on the list – and arguably the first important one - is the warehouse automation.

Let’s take a closer look at the steps you might take into consideration and why it might be the missing piece to take your business to the next level.

What is the warehouse automation?

Simply said, it is the process of replacing repeated operations with automated technology. The purpose of warehouse automation systems is to remove time-consuming and labor-intensive tasks. As a result, the staff is freed to focus on higher-value duties, such as quality control.

A warehouse worker, for example, may put large products onto an autonomous mobility robot. The robot transports merchandise from one end of the warehouse to the shipment zone, while software tracks its progress and keeps all records up to date. These robots increase the task’s efficiency, speed, and precision.

Warehouse automation does not always entail physical or robotic automation; in many situations, it simply refers to the use of software to replace time intensive human operations.

Generally speaking, there are 2 types of automation – digital automation and physical automation.

Digital automation

This is all about the data and software that are used in digitally driven warehouses to decrease manual procedures. For example, in the warehouse, digital automation might take the form of automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) technologies, such as mobile barcoding, wearable scanners and pick-to-light packaging systems.

Digital automation technology usually requires a considerable initial investment upfront. This includes the hardware, software, maintenance contracts and the time and resources necessary to deploy the systems and educate staff is included in these expenditures. Furthermore, digital automation raises the data security aspects.

Physical automation

Physical automation is a technique for creating more efficient processes via technology. Physical automation has several advantages, including greater efficiency, improved service dependability and scalability, and improved performance.

What are the benefits of automating your warehouse?

Automating your warehouse is an excellent idea for any business and might be just what you require.

First, it will significantly reduce the number of human errors. Though some of them might still occur, warehouse automation will save huge amounts of time and labor costs in the long run. With the right software, you can pinpoint where the errors are coming from and eliminate them one by one allowing faster processing time and deliveries.

Secondly, nothing makes a customer happier than delivering their product ahead of schedule. Giving customers what they want and providing it to them faster than they expected is the best approach to earning their loyalty. Simply put, warehouse automation gives you a significant edge over your competition that will be visible to your clients.

From picking and receiving things to moving them through the assembly lines and out to distribution, automation systems may help expedite the entire process. For example, tools may keep things organized, handle barcodes and send automatic notifications to stakeholders when specified tasks are completed and are generally tailored by software processes to match the unique demands of each warehouse. This allows warehouse staff to spend less time organizing and controlling various aspects of their procedures.

Space savings, cheaper construction costs, increased productivity, more efficient material movement, fewer workers and safer operations are all advantages of automated warehousing among with the inventory reductions, lower operational expenses, better ROI, and lower lifetime costs.

Now let’s dive straight into the main aspects of the warehouse automation.

1. Warehouse management systems

A warehouse management system is a collection of software and processes that enable businesses to manage and control warehouse operations from the time the goods enter the facility until they leave (and eventually come back again in form of order returns).

A warehouse management system guarantees that goods and commodities are moved through warehouses most efficiently and cost-effectively. Inventory monitoring, selecting, receiving, and putaway are just a few of the operations that a WMS conducts. 

Probably you are using some sort of WMS already, but this is an area that is constantly evolving – from the AI demand predictions to the blockchain technologies there are countless new features coming out every year. And if you don’t keep up with them you might fall behind.

It is always a good idea to keep track of the trends and react on time to the new developments.  

2. Automated storage and retrieval systems

ASRS are a range of computer-controlled systems autonomously depositing and recovering loads from predetermined storage sites. Good examples for this are self-driven material-carrying vehicles, tote shuttles and mini-loaders to store and retrieve materials or products. Automated storage and retrieval systems are commonly utilized in warehouses where:

- A large number of cargoes are being transferred into and out of storage.

- However, due to space limits, storage density is critical.

- Because of the potential for costly harm to the load, accuracy is essential here.

An effective ASRS has numerous benefits for a business, especially in reducing labor costs, increasing safety, reducing unnecessary parts, utilizing space efficiently and tracking.

3. Collaborative robots & autonomous mobile robots

Collaborative robots (Cobots) are safe and easy to train and integrate into your automation systems. They represent significant advancements in intelligent production. When it comes to high productivity, speed, and precision, collaborative and autonomous robots are helping a lot. 

Cobots are suitable for a wide range of use cases. An autonomous mobile robot can comprehend and navigate its surroundings on its own. AMRs vary from autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), which rely on tracks or predetermined courses and require human supervision. Untethered from wired power, AMRs employ a complex set of sensors, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computation for path planning to comprehend and navigate around their surroundings.

4. Automated sortation systems

Sortation systems deal with keeping track of objects on a conveyor system and routing them to a particular location, such as various packing stations or parcel carrier doors. While manual sorting depends on human employees to identify and redirect things as needed, automated sorting uses a range of technology, such as barcode scanners and other sensors, without human interaction.

However, the implementation of sortation systems is usually feasible for really large businesses with hundreds or thousands orders per day and might require larger space and specific warehouse layouts for the deployment. 

5. Automated order packaging systems

Packing, and packaging are crucial elements of the fulfillment process. A damaged or improperly packed order can negatively impact your business, resulting in more outstanding inventory, freight, and labor expenses. It can also lead to consumer loss and a tarnished reputation. Many businesses are aware of the risks and expenses involved with order problems and therefore budget for extra effort to reduce errors and customer complaints.

Automated packaging systems are now more crucial than ever. Companies are looking at how they can package products fast and reliable to become more efficient and optimized.  

6. Automated shipping systems

Usually, the automated shipping systems are a mix of the software and the hardware aspects of the automation.

They take care of the automatic package carrier selection, printing and adhering a shipping label to the package, arranging pickup requests at the logistic companies etc.

Again, they significantly reduce the need for human intervention in shipping processes and helps to speed up your supply chain workflow.

7. Package tracking

Package tracking is the practice of locating shipping containers, mail, and parcel post throughout sorting, storage, and package delivery to verify their provenance and forecast the delivery date.

The ability to tracking your orders is almost a necessity for the customer experience as well – people expect their orders to be delivered in a quickly manner and can track the shipment information and the expected delivery date on the route.

8. Returns automation

As online shopping becomes more prevalent, customers are expecting that you can handle the returns in a timely and easily manner. For example, 40% of buyers have developed a new habit of over-purchasing at the moment of sale, intending to return certain items. Bracketing is another term that pops up here. Returns have become a critical component of a successful retail business, and e-commerce companies without an adequate returns management system need to upgrade them as soon as possible.

A returns management system includes all of the regulations, rules, workflows, and procedures that create a return for a customer and the systems that the warehouse uses to accept, grade, and process the return.

As a result, it’s a somewhat complex aspect of e-commerce retail. Keeping track of back-and-forth conversations with each client, notifying all teams of the status of each return, and manually entering records and data points into spreadsheets soon becomes a nightmare fraught with human error.