Revolutionizing Warehouse Operations: Embrace Robotics and Automation Solutions

Technology solutions providers (TSPs) are uniquely positioned to help businesses upgrade their operations appropriately.

Warehouse operations throughout Europe are automating processes. Interestingly, different factors are driving their transformations. For example, research firm Interact Analysis points out that warehouse operations in the UK are investing much more than the global average to keep up with e-commerce customers’ expectations for fast fulfilment and delivery while controlling labour costs. On the other hand, high labour costs alone (USD 27.2 per square foot, the highest in the world by a wide margin) are driving warehouse automation spend in Denmark. However, whether motivated by competitive pressures to fulfil orders faster and more accurately or to operate more profitably in an era of rising labour costs, your customers and prospects are considering how automation and robotics solutions can provide value to their operations.

PwC sheds some light on whether warehouse operation automation results in ROI. The firm evaluated supply chain leaders who had invested in advanced capabilities in 2019 and found they reduced costs by 6.8 per cent and increased revenues by 7.7 per cent. They also increased customer satisfaction by improving their on-time, in-full (OTIF) delivery statistics.

Which Warehouse Robotics and Automation Solutions Should TSPs Offer?

Some warehouses are ready to deploy robotics and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automation. Others need to begin by implementing less sophisticated solutions. Technology solutions providers (TSPs) are uniquely positioned to help businesses upgrade their operations appropriately. TSPs who recognize that companies and organisations rely on them as trusted advisors will learn about their customers’ current processes and determine logical next steps in their digital transformation journey.

Consider the full range of options to find the right investment for your clients, including:

• Voice- or light-directed picking—Pick-to-light systems use LED lights and barcodes to help pickers quickly and accurately fill orders. Similarly, pickers can receive directions via headset from a manager or a virtual assistant, saving time and enhancing their productivity.
• Goods movement solutions—Robotics and automated machines bring raw materials, parts, and products to employees for packing. Intelligent solutions can save time and effort, automatically determining when there’s a need for materials or products and moving items with conveyors, carousels, or other equipment leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT), RFID, AI, and machine vision.
• Sortation systems—Warehouses can automate putaway with sortation systems that move goods from receiving to the correct locations for picking or packing. Sortation systems receive data directly from the warehouse management system (WMS), and using barcodes or RFID, they identify products and move them to the correct bin or shelf.
• Cobots—Collaborative mobile robots are designed to work with humans, assist them in their work, and save employees time by transporting materials or recycling. They also provide a solution for handling and moving products or materials too heavy for employees to lift or carry safely.