Automation in warehouses
Warehouse automation in Poland is still an unpopular topic – according to a survey conducted by the Panel of Polish Logistics Managers, almost 60% of companies have not even considered the option of implementing warehouse automation.
Table of Contents
1. Why is it worth finding out?
The reason for such low interest is ignorance and lack of awareness of the effects and benefits associated with this phenomenon. One thing is certain – automation in warehouses definitely pays off! Why?
By investing in warehouse automation, companies are directly investing in their development – automation is about finding new solutions that provide safe, proven and effective benefits leading to a reduction in the cost of production, storage and shipping of goods, according to the lean concept. Due to the dynamic development of the market and increasing competition, companies are opting for lean management solutions, building process management systems so that the customer who orders a product receives it in the expected time.
2. How is cost reduction achieved?
Thanks to automation, it is possible to optimize the use of warehouse space and acquire more storage capacity – for entrepreneurs this is particularly important in the context of rising land prices. It is also worth noting that in automated warehouses the safety of personnel and stored cargo increases.
3. Warehouse automation – an example
Another undoubted benefit of using automated processes is the streamlining of product movement, packaging and shipping. Warehouse processes, especially in larger companies, are characterized by high complexity and are carried out under time pressure. It is therefore necessary to use tools and programs that will ensure the expected efficiency. A critical point in the work of warehouses is the complementation of goods. Increasingly, voice recognition (voice picking) technologies are just being used in the picking process. Commands to perform an action are sent to the employee by the WMS warehouse system and processed into a voice message. Such a solution increases the productivity of a given workstation by 10-15%, and also allows to exclude repetitive mistakes in this process resulting, for example, from monotony of work.
Implementation of warehouse automation is a profitable investment in real improvement of the quality and efficiency of goods turnover, which will bring significant benefits to the functioning of the entire enterprise. All solutions that optimize the work of the warehouse contribute to increasing the efficiency of logistics processes.