___________________________________________________________________________________ Warehouse Automation
This may mean that some of the potential efficiencies and savings are not immediately captured , but these are by definition long term projects . If this scale of investment is really the answer to today ’ s problems , there are probably deeper issues at play . The business needs to look out as far as it can , with the best forecasts ( or range of forecasts ) available . This automation is supposed to make the company more successful – so what does ‘ success ’ look like , not next quarter but in five years ’ time ?
Change is the only certainty – how flexible , adaptable , scalable is the solution you are proposing ? Do you need a higher level of ‘ robotics ’, broadly defined , to meet a largely unknown future , or is it appropriate ( as it may be ), simply to opt for significantly overspecified fixed automation ? But while any level of investment must meet a business case , it is a false , and potentially disastrous , economy to allow this apparently unnecessary surplus capability to be stripped out of the proposal . Could it , in fact , be unnecessary ? Has anyone mentioned promotions ?
Examine flexible options
There is a lot of detailed ‘ what if ?’ thinking to be done – what if , for example , demands for less packaging lead to more loose goods being handled ? That might steer the project towards a greater use of robotics for item-level manipulation , rather than fixed automation at a carton or pallet level . There are also assumptions to be challenged – it may be that the automation plan expects suppliers to deliver in a certain manner . Actually , they don ’ t but that ’ s alright because the workforce knows the work round . The automation probably doesn ’ t . The automation has to be designed around the supply realities , but equally the suppliers have to be aligned with the automation .
And although we stress the need for longest-term planning , it does have to be accepted by the business owners that it may be desirable to replace at least some elements of the automation years before its theoretical end of life . Fixed automation , or automated storage and retrieval systems ( AS / RS ) may be a valuable interim solution to be augmented or replaced a few years down the line by autonomous mobile robots ( AMRs ), ‘ cobots ’ working alongside staff , or whatever else technical progress brings forward . AMRs , incidentally , are a great way of achieving great scalability for low CapEx , as units can be taken on or off lease as requirements vary – easier and cheaper than hiring a hundred extra bodies .
An appetite for risk
The food chain is always under huge pressure from consumers , media , shareholders , and suppliers , and often with an added political element . To meet these pressures , the food distribution chain needs to rediscover its appetite for risk . But don ’ t panic – by working with an independent and experienced systems integrator such as Invar , those risks can be well-controlled . ■
For a list of the sources used in this article , please contact the editor .
Dan Migliozzi www . invargroup . com
Invar Group , headquartered in Cranfield UK , is focused on delivering complete turnkey warehouse automation solutions using advanced technologies such as industrial robotics , AMR goods-to-person solutions , pick-to-light technology , sortation systems , as well as conventional warehouse automation . The group comprises : Invar Systems , a developer of warehouse control and management systems ; Invar Integration ( Greenstone Systems ), a front runner in solutions design , hardware integration and project management ; and Invar Controls , specialists in the design , implementation and maintenance of PLC software and hardware .
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