Despite the fact that warehouse robotics are now far more common and well-established than they were ten years ago, many companies are still hesitant to deploy this technology for a number of reasons. Although issues differ depending on the size and sector of the company, the key ones include lack of in-house maintenance and support skills, flexibility, integration and migration, and price.
Uncertainty is at the core of all these worries, as do the main queries of what robotics can do and whether or not they can be used in your business. Let’s examine some frequent misunderstandings regarding warehouse robotics, the top uses for this technology now available, and some actions you can do to facilitate the integration of robotics into your warehouse operation.
Three Myths and False Beliefs
Lack of knowledge about the precise capabilities of automation and the potential benefits (and drawbacks) for daily operations is one of the main obstacles facing companies thinking about implementing robots. A crucial first step to successful adoption is overcoming these widespread myths and misunderstandings.
- Automation and robotics are always the best options. Sometimes a straightforward, manual, extremely efficient procedure is hard to top. The robots of today still have limits despite their increased versatility. For instance, robots might not be the best option if your company’s throughput requirements fluctuate significantly. Hiring temporary labor to cover seasonal and other changes might help you increase throughput on manual procedures and activities as needed. That is not an option for robotic solutions. You can add additional robots with scalable automated solutions, such as mobile robots, but not in a matter of hours or days, and it is not feasible to do so when you only need to raise throughput sometimes throughout the year.
- Humans can or will be entirely replaced by robotics. The notion that automation and artificial intelligence would someday supplant humans is a prevalent misunderstanding among companies and a popular concern among employees. Warehouse robotics enhance and supplement human labor. They are intended to assist in taking over low-value, repetitive jobs so that human workers may focus on more sophisticated tasks that automation and robots cannot perform. Reducing labor is not the goal of robotics. It’s about making the most of your current workers and encouraging them to play a more active part in expanding your company.
- The cost of robots is prohibitive. Robots may be implemented in a more gradual manner since they require less physical infrastructure than certain more conventional automation options, such as conveyers. Because robotic solutions are adaptable and modular, you may start small and grow as necessary. Instead of making a large upfront investment and waiting for your firm to catch up, you may pay as you expand, aligning your capital expenditure to your growth. Because of its adaptability, robots can sometimes offer a greater return on investment (ROI) than conventional automation.
The Top Five Uses of Warehouse Robotics
Finding the jobs that robotics are most suited for is essential to integrating them into your warehouse operation. Robots are definitely not the greatest solution for certain duties, such as unloading non-palletized items from trucks or shipping containers, but they can be quite useful in a variety of other areas.
- Order selection: Alongside goods-to-person automation, robotic arm piece picking enhances your current workforce by reducing worker mobility and travel and enhancing ergonomics, particularly in high-volume e-commerce fulfillment operations. Picking is one of the greatest areas for robotic help because it usually accounts for the highest percentage of a warehouse’s workforce.
- The process of palletizing and depalletizing: Because robotic arm palletization and depalletization eliminate the need for manual labor in this backbreaking operation, it helps your staff experience fewer repetitive motion injuries. Additionally, compared to doing these processes by hand, product damage is usually decreased after the system is refined.
- Transportation: In comparison to conveyers, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) offer a scalable, adaptable substitute that needs less initial capital and infrastructure. Additionally, for choosing or placing goods in racks and transporting complete pallet loads, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are a tried-and-true substitute for forklifts and other forms of automation.
- Classification: AMRs are already being utilized in batch picking settings to create orders in addition to transportation applications. AMRs increase sorting accuracy and help close the gap between typical high-volume automated sorting options that demand a significant infrastructure investment and manually labor-intensive put barriers.
- Packaging: By creating unique packaging around things for single-unit orders, automated packaging lowers dunnage and extra cubic volume of shipments, eventually saving money on transportation. Automated packaging systems may readily use robotic arm pick and place technology to increase their efficiency and speed.
Three Possible Hazards to Steer Clear of
There are a few typical things to consider to make sure the adoption of robotics runs successfully once you’ve selected the appropriate application and are prepared to begin.
- Put in place appropriate training and gain support: Make sure that your employees know that the solution is meant to support them, not to replace them, in addition to how it operates. The transition is made easier and more efficient by gaining support early on and making sure that everyone is taught on how the solution fits into their current workflows.
- Recognize the constraints: Robotics solutions have a lower throughput than manual methods. Increasing production to meet fluctuating demand can be a tedious process since adding more automation and robots takes time, or it would necessitate a system that can operate continuously to fulfill output requirements during peak hours. Prior to making a commitment, ascertain the capabilities of the solution and how they align with your demand cycles.
- Keep up with upkeep and assistance: A thorough maintenance and support strategy is essential since every machine ultimately has to be repaired. System outages and inefficiencies may result from selecting a partner that lacks the capacity to offer comprehensive training and ongoing support.
Be modest at first and work your way up
Adopting robots involves a number of phases, of course, but it all begins with determining which aspect of your business is ready for disruption and where robotics would streamline rather than complicate the process. Effective indicators of potential value include things like productivity gains and space savings. Everyone in your business, from the floor operators to the C-suite, may become change agents if productivity increases significantly.
Keep in mind that starting small is OK. Modern warehouse robotics systems are adaptable and modular. Start with a modest pilot program or a single process, then expand from there. Little victories lead to greater ones. Additionally, one will probably discover additional opportunities for robots across your company as you make progress in one area.