Logistics and warehousing operations are under strain. Customer are expecting speedy delivery and order numbers vary in unpredictable ways. The old way of throwing people at these challenges doesn’t work anymore, and that’s why the way warehouses and distribution centers operate is changing.

Meet the Labor Challenge

It’s hard to find good warehouse workers. The job is physically demanding and often repetitive. Automation solves this problem by taking on the monotonous, labor-intensive work that is hardest to staff. Automated systems do the things that a human would do and can operate almost 24/7. That doesn’t mean that the are necessarily eliminating jobs, but people can move over to types of projects that demand human judgment and human problem solving. 

Improved Throughput and Speed

Automation is more rapid than manual operation. The speed advantage is significant whether it’s sorting equipment, automated storage, or robotic picking systems selecting products.

Output is directly related to this speed. Automation can handle more orders per hour, turn inventory faster, and hit tighter delivery windows. The faster you can fulfill orders the more clients you get and the more customers you keep.

Cost-Effective Accuracy

Issues with wrong items, wrong locations, and wrong inventory all add up. Customer service time, returns, reshipping, and lost good will all add up rapidly. No matter how effective your training is, or how attentive your staff is, the human error in these areas is unavoidable at scale.

Automated solutions with barcode scanning, RFID tracking and integrated verification greatly eliminate these errors. Error rates are dramatically reduced when a system verifies the correct item was selected before it enters a box or automatically sorts packages based on scanned addresses. The cost reductions from automation are typically worth the cost, only for the reduction in mistakes alone.

Flexibility of System Design

Modern automation isn’t one size fits all. Systems can be created as standalone solutions for specific bottlenecks, semi-automated setups with a combination of human workers and automated help, or fully automated end-to-end processes. The right strategy depends on your specific operation, quantities and limits.

Flexibility is key since it means automation can grow with your demands. You may start by automating the repetitious operation that has the biggest volume, then extend as you see results. Or you might use semi-automated solutions that increase worker productivity, and not completely displace workers. When complete automation isn’t an option, the flexibility to design systems that work for your circumstance brings automation within reach.

Selecting the Proper Size for Automation Investment

Not all businesses need a totally automated lights out operation. Understand the right level of automation for your individual volumes, space limits and business strategy. Automating more than you need wastes capital. The trick is to connect automation to specific pain areas and opportunities. Maybe you’re wasting time and accuracy on inventory storage and retrieval. You do not need to automate everything at once.

ind targeted automation that meets your real restrictions. The winners in this field are the organizations who are figuring out how to implement it smartly, connecting the technology to their specific operating demands. The question is no longer if you should automate. It’s how to do it in ways that truly help your particular operation.