FEATURE Automated Warehousing
Key results BITO racking at Siemens
CONTACT:
BITO Storage Systems Tel: 024 7638 8850 Web:
www.bito.com
Looking to the future of the supply chain I
n today’s technologically advanced world, the majority of us have access to the Internet at
all times. People use their mobile phones to stay up to date with the latest news and trends, encouraging them to consume the latest products with ease – consequently this has resulted in a huge boom in online sales. At the moment, eCommerce sales account for 18 per cent of all retails sales and these numbers are continuing to rise, especially in the lead up to Christmas. On top of this, consumers are increasingly demanding seamless next-day delivery, a service which has been normalised by eCommerce giant Amazon. To support this, retailers are under increasing
pressure to provide quick, cost-effective and reliable delivery solutions, store products closer to their end customers to enable next day and same day delivery and have sufficient warehousing space that allows them to grow product ranges and satisfy demand. However, what makes this situation even more complex is that there is a warehousing shortage in the UK. Retailers need to mitigate the shrinking
warehousing landscape by finding a viable solution that will enable them to utilise space in a more efficient manner. Part of the answer to this is warehouse automation. Automating the warehouse will enable a
business to optimise its existing space. Within the last five to ten years, giant leaps forward have been made on this front and businesses have been innovating to perfect the logistics and functionality of an automated warehouse. Amazon has been one of the first to embrace automation – for example, its Manchester fulfilment centre deploys over 2,500 bots to do a range of tasks in a confined area of approximately 200sqm; the machines on wheels
14 November 2018 | Automation
scan QR codes and pick and place products. The bots operate efficiently in the space and are aware of other bots around them, enabling bots picking more urgent orders to be given precedence in selecting and delivering products to the picker. Rather impressively, the bots have allowed Amazon to utilise a third of the space of a traditional warehouse to fulfil the same amount of orders. Other retailers have already followed suit; notably Ocado’s automated warehouse uses a range of different robots, from smaller employee-friendly collaborative robots, to larger caged-off industrial robots. One warehouse is able to process up to 65,000 orders per week. Traditionally, SMEs have not seen robotics as
a viable option due to the large upfront financial investment. However, these bots are becoming less expensive and are now a more feasible option for smaller businesses; smaller collaborative bots in particular can work safely alongside employees within the warehouse, do not require a large amount of space and can fit into an existing floorplan with minimal disruption. However, there are many other tactical warehousing strategies that can be implemented to streamline operations and reduce costs if a business is not yet ready or able to invest in robotic automation. By introducing real-time hand-held mobile devices for picking, employees no longer have to use pick sheets. As well as this, data will be uploaded into the system in real-time providing complete visibility into warehouse operations and logistics, enabling the sortation of orders to be automated. This ensures that priority orders are picked first and pickers are using the optimal routes round the warehouse. Many of these devices also support voice picking technology,
which allows employees to work hands-free – research has indicated that this technology improves picking efficiencies by up to 40 per cent. These mobile devices will continuously gather data and will carry out spot checks on stock, updating the replenishment database in real-time throughout the day. A replenishment forecast can then be created, accurately predicting which stock is likely to sell out and where stock needs to be placed within the warehouse for maximum efficiency. On top of this, all this data is recorded which empowers the management team to accurately analyse picker performance and make logistical improvements. By utilising automation within the
warehouse, businesses can become more efficient within the space that they have. The idea of introducing bots within the warehouse may seem like something only retail giants are able to achieve, but this is no longer the case – bots may be commonplace sooner than we think. In a competitive and crowded marketplace, it will be those retailers that are able to provide exceptional customer services, including same-day or next-day delivery, that will gain a competitive edge and this will only be achievable with an automated approach.
Maginus
www.maginus.com
automationmagazine.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66
