There comes a time when you’re considering hiring new staff due to orders increasing, or perhaps you’re just outgrowing your old system. This is when it might be worth considering automating your warehouse processes. Pretty much all of the day to day operations can be automated. Some of the reasons to automate your warehouse include saving space, improve productivity, improve accuracy and lower staff costs. Automation technology is an ergonomic breakthrough.
An automated storage and retrieval system consists of a computer-controlled system which can automatically place and retrieving goods from defined storage locations.
By automating your warehouse operations you can make the best use of available space. When people are running operations they have to have floor space, but robots and machines can be mounted on walls or suspended from ceilings. Automated systems are bespoke and are designed and created specifically for the space available. They can be designed to use the full height of your warehouse and as much floor space you have available. It will be cheaper in the long run if you can improve your current warehouse rather than finding and moving operations to a larger and more expensive warehouse.
Automated machines can give you non-stop productivity and be much more accurate. An automated picking system can work 24 hours a day and are much quicker than the time it takes for your staff to pick items.
Obviously having an automated packing system will reduce your labour costs. There will be staff needed to oversee operations but you will not need to have a number of staff doing the picking.
Whether we like it or not computers and machines, are much more accurate that humans will ever be. Once you have automated your warehouse you will see and big improvement in order accuracy which in turn will lead to much happier customers. Also with automated picking your inventory will be always be automatically updated and accurate. Tasks that would normally take some time such as reconciling a delivery note against what was actually delivered would take just seconds with an automated system.
Another benefit of automated systems is that they will improve the work experience of your staff. All of the tedious tasks which require repetitive and physical tasks can be automated.
Call our team on 01937 585 057 for more information on automating your warehouse.