storage optimisation 1


Understand fUtUre bUsiness goals


the future may be difficult to predict, but important questions on business direction need to be asked. Beyond short-term objectives, such as sales targets and planned promotional peaks, it is essential to gain insights into the future strategic ambitions of the business. any level of investment in automation will be


justified by its return on investment over a given period – the faster the better. But corporate goals can change, new opportunities may arise and this could impact product profiles, volumes and formats, along with customer service offerings. gaining a full understanding of C-suite plans and objectives to a five-year horizon will be invaluable in determining the scope and scale of solution that may be required. Big questions include: what financial resources


are available for any automation project? Limited capital may not preclude automation, as point solutions and scalable technology can be deployed in stages over time. What are the constraints on the warehouse – long or short lease, physical layout, ability to expand? What level of growth is the business expecting year-on-year – is it 20 per cent or more? these are prime considerations for shaping any solution. above all else, be clear in setting objectives. What problems are you trying to solve?


2


examine yoUr pain points


automation may be adopted for any number of reasons, such as: increasing capacity, reducing reliance on labour, overcoming space constraints, lowering costs, increasing storage density, speeding processes, introducing higher levels of accuracy or enhancing operational resilience. But where in the warehouse can technology be best applied in order to deliver the desired objectives? it is important to determine where the


bottlenecks and pain points are within current warehouse processes and hence where technology would bring the greatest gains. the answers are not always obvious or may not be as obvious as they sometimes look. relieving a pressure point may introduce problems elsewhere, so a holistic approach is needed, backed-up by comprehensive data analysis.


3 analyse the data


Careful analysis of operational data lies at the heart of the design process and is critical to reaching the best solution. it is essential to understand the performance of each process. information relating to order profiles, order volumes, throughput rates, labour costs, volumetrics etc., provides the basis for determining the shape of possible solutions. But it is a task that requires specialist skills, clever tools and expert advice. analysis can be undertaken in a number of


different ways. an excel spreadsheet may be used to generate a broad profile, so a complete set of stock data and orders could reveal what products would make sense to group together in an automated system and what products may, say, be too large, needing a different handling solution. of course, automation may not always be appropriate – perhaps volumes are not high enough or the product profile is more suited to a manual process. experience and expertise pays dividends,


as there is always a danger of creating unnecessary complexity. For instance, producing hundreds of different product categories can introduce confusion, resulting in rigid processes and cumbersome, inflexible systems. similarly, there can be a temptation to use technology where it


is not necessary or an overly sophisticated solution could be overkill.


4 review appropriate technologies


there are many different technologies that could, potentially, be used – from autonomous mobile robots (amrs), zone-routing conveyors and flow-racking to cross-belt sorters, pick-to- light systems and automated packaging solutions, to name but a few. However, finding the most effective and appropriate combination for the defined set of objectives requires technical knowledge, creative thinking and access to advanced tools. importantly, it helps if you consult an independent systems integrator as, not being bound by any one technology or in-house manufactured solution, they are free to be objective about specifying the right solution for the application. Bringing a combination of technologies together in a cohesive way, based on process efficiency and overall performance, is what counts and much of this depends on the software development and the skills of the integrator to successfully tailor the solution for optimum performance.


5 model the oUtcomes / scenarios


once it has been decided that some form of automation is needed, the next step is to review appropriate technology and model the solution to see how it performs.


32 may 2021 | FaCtory&HanDLingsoLUtions


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