Gartner Inc. has estimated that up to 70% of all organizations will adopt some automation this year. That’s up about 20% based on estimates from 2021, just a mere four years ago. However, many businesses still aren’t implementing automation at the rate that makes a truly significant difference to their business, observed Daifuku Intralogistics Americas.
There are many good reasons to bring robots into a workplace environment, said the automated storage provider. When automation is properly integrated, it can help enhance efficiency, improve accuracy, reduce costs, and provide a more comfortable work environment for personnel. Given these advantages, why are so many businesses still so hesitant to take the plunge and go all-in on automation?
Daifuku discussed the benefits of automated solutions, some of the key challenges of integrating these systems, and some options to consider for your business.
Integrated automation offers several benefits
When automation is intelligently integrated into a warehouse or manufacturing business, the end result can be significant, according to Daifuku. The company listed some of the major benefits of adopting robots and automation:
- Streamlined workflows: Automated solutions can help simplify repetitive tasks, thereby freeing up human workers to plug in on bigger-picture functions.
- Enhanced efficiencies: Time equals money, and any opportunity to improve efficiency can help speed up time to market and improve ther bottom line. Automation can help accelerate such processes.
- Fewer mistakes: Humans are bound to make mistakes, but too many can lead to delays, product returns, fees, lost sales, and an erosion of consumer trust. Automation can virtually eliminate human error and help ensure that any programmed tasks are completed effectively and accurately.
- Cost reductions: Automation can help businesses reduce labor costs, lower overall operational costs, and reduce required building footprint, as well as cut down on any costly errors.
- Improved employee satisfaction: Robotics and automation can lead to safer and more ergonomic workplaces, making for happier employees. With automation taking over or augmenting certain tasks, workers are less likely to succumb to stress and burnout and can achieve a healthier overall work/life balance. Finding and training good employees is a constant challenge. Providing a pleasant work environment helps to keep turnover low and ensures that a facility is properly staffed to meet your business needs.
Considering all of these benefits, why are so many businesses not jumping into automation? In many cases, they don’t know where to start.
Now accepting session submissions!
Daifuku explains how to bridge the gap to integration
High upfront costs, the complexity of integrating systems with existing facilities, and concerns about changes to company culture are some common barriers to investments in automation. The key to overcoming these hurdles is to be sure you are identifying the right tasks to optimize in your operation, according to Daifuku.
Start by thoroughly examining all your current processes and identifying the key issues that you hope to resolve when adopting new technologies. Look for processes requiring large amounts of staffers, plus tasks that are unpopular with employees due to high difficulty or physical demands.
You can also identify places in your operation where errors frequently occur, as well as bottlenecks that make it difficult to meet deadlines.
Once you have identified what problems you would like to solve, work with a reliable partner to assess your environment and better determine which technologies might provide a benefit. Daifuku said it routinely collaborates with customers to help evaluate operations, analyze inventory and order data, and step through the vast array of automation available to construct the most beneficial solutions for its partners.
From there, you can choose which implementation options best suit your needs. Automation can even be phased in gradually if it makes sense for your budget and operational requirements in the coming years.
Automation options abound
There is a plethora of automated solutions that can make a difference in your warehouse, manufacturing facility, or distribution center to realize many of the benefits that Daifuku has outlined. It cited some of the leading systems for these environments:
- Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS): ASRS can help automate product storage and retrieval, while also optimizing floor space, which is often at a premium in warehouse environments. Such systems can be designed to handle pallets, cases, or totes, and they offer high inventory accuracy, dense storage, decreased footprint, and high throughput, noted Daifuku.
- Goods-to-person (G2P) technology: Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can bring the inventory to the worker for order fulfillment. This can increase productivity and reduce the need for employees to walk or drive to reach the inventory required to fill orders. G2P stations can be coupled with various types of inventory automation.
- Automated guided vehicles (AGVs): These robots can help transport goods throughout a warehouse by following predefined paths or programmed guidance systems. AGVs help improve efficiency, reduce labor costs, and streamline otherwise tedious, repetitive tasks.
- High-speed sortation: Unit sorters and high speed shoe sorters are utilized to directly fulfill orders, cross dock inventory through your facility, or sort work to different areas of your automation system or different areas of your warehouse.
- Robotic palletizing and picking: Daifuku noted that robotics can help increase efficiency, accuracy, and safety in any type of warehouse or distribution center, helping fulfill orders faster and reduce operational costs. Robots can also scale to meet evolving business needs.
Daifuku offers its expertise
Daifuku Intralogistics America consolidated brands last year and has an Innovation Center in Bollingbrook, Ill.
At ProMat last month, the company demonstrated its depalletization cell developed with Cellumation, its AS-35 shoe sorter, and the D3 pallet shuttle and ASRS. It also showed conveyors, picking and palletizing systems, AGVs, and Dainamics warehouse execution software (WES).
Daifuku added in its blog that it is available to partner with companies to help them implement and integrate robots and automation. It claimed that these systems can improve control over their materials handling operations.
