WAREHOUSING HANDLING & STORAGE
5 KEY TENETS TO SUCCESSFUL AUTOMATION FOR A COMPETITIVE COMMERCIAL MARKET R
ussell Holmes, Business Development Manager at AutoStore UK, can explore the five key tenets for successful warehouse automation and how the implementation of automation can benefit the overall business financially, operationally, and environmentally.
AutoStore
https://www.autostoresystem.com/ 1: DENSITY
Recent news has highlighted the squeeze in commercial property, with many brands seeking urban spaces to build into micro-fulfilment sites enabling a closer proximity to consumers across the country. We are seeing a surge in urban fulfilment, but many brands are overlooking hybrid retail spaces, an obvious solution to a space limitation. High-density warehouse automation solutions offer brands the ability to: * Reduce the need to invest in additional spaces (less m2 needed) * Hold up to 4x more capacity in the same footprint as manual storage, providing you the space to offer more services and inventory * Ideal for retailers looking to explore hybrid spaces (e.g. redefining retail spaces with micro fulfilment storage and a concept storefront to meet current consumer shopping habits) * Release capacity for more inventory per sqm - increased inventory volume at store or local level
2: SCALABILITY
Investing in warehouse automation can be daunting to a business, but the opportunities available to first adopters include greater return on investment, fast scalability and tailored systems that fit into a business’s existing footprint. Modern warehouse operations often start small and need to scale up quickly to meet the ever-increasing pressure on today’s supply chains.
The benefits of adopting automation solutions such as AutoStore are: * Systems are tailored to your needs and desired outputs * Each AutoStore is designed based on your operations and is fully simulated for real-life operational challenges and demands * AutoStore is the fastest order fulfilment system per square foot in the world * AutoStore can be deployed quickly and scaled rapidly without interrupting existing live operations
3: SUSTAINABILITY
Consumers are increasingly looking to the brands they engage with to take tangible steps towards securing a net-zero future, whilst simultaneously expecting a seamless shopping experience. Automation technology can support businesses in reducing emissions, whilst also boosting the bottom line and meeting increasingly high customer expectations around delivery. Automation will provide: * The technological advancements driving “green” warehouses, which do not compromise on performance * The practical considerations required of companies looking to make their supply chain more environmentally friendly * Why a greener supply chain strategy can offer added flexibility and greater consumer consideration
4: FLEXIBILITY
Successful warehouse automation needs the flexibility to solve the complexity of the modern omnichannel and reverse logistics operation. Businesses also need to adapt by investing in systems that provide this flexibility, particularly for a growing market like e-commerce. Areas AutoStore can support with flexibility: * Ultra-high-density storage that can be scaled to suit today’s needs within an existing space and later to grow in tune with the business * The role automation technology can play in meeting heightened consumer demand and expectation about delivery and stock availability * AutoStore’s order fulfilment offers configurable by facility by day to provide operational flexibility
AutoStore can supply a fully integrated solution that provides in- grid-order consolidation, buffering and dispatch sequencing, which is especially crucial for today’s Grocery distribution. A fully integrated user experience is also possible with Autostore. AutoStore Retail WMS, a seamless modular software solution, allows visibility of stock and complete connectivity with the automation system.
5: PRODUCTIVITY
One of the supply chain industry’s biggest challenges is staff attrition. Maintaining and nurturing staff is crucial to retention of valuable employees and strong outputs. Automation is an area often overlooked, being seen as ‘replacing’ manual jobs, where in fact this is an opportunity to support existing employees and encourage new hires to learn and adapt to an evolving industry. Benefits include: * Automation offers ultra-fast and accurate picking times that support quicker outputs and deliveries * Upskilling of manual warehouse jobs. This provides new opportunities for existing employees who will learn new skill sets, subsequently retaining staff, and increasing productivity * AutoStore’s unbeaten up-time (99.7%) and no single point of failure means you have constant access to your inventory, supporting 24/7 operations
24 APRIL 2022 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
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