Food Logistics

JAN-FEB 2015

Food Logistics serves the entire food supply chain industry with targeted content for manufacturers, retailers, and distributors.

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58 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 • FOOD LOGISTICS www.foodlogistics.com FOOD (and More) FOR THOUGHT C L I N T L A S H E R R ome wasn't built in a day, as the saying goes. It was a centu- ries' long process that involved a lot of heavy lifting, intricate carving, innovative design and incremental—but thought- ful—expansion. Over time it all came together to create an epic empire that appeared almost as if carved from a single gleaming block of marble. Just like building one of history's most revered cities, automating your warehouse doesn't have to happen as an all-or-nothing proposi- tion. It can be a process where each piece seamlessly builds on the oth- ers, improving the system with each step and bringing you closer to a warehouse that perfectly suits your organization's unique needs. Companies choose automation solutions for many reasons, includ- ing labor issues, increasing order fulfillment speed and accuracy, and reducing the cost of goods sold and improved inventory density. The key is to find the right level of automation for your company's needs at an investment level and time frame that works for you. By carefully assessing your company's requirements, you can determine where your warehouse fits on the automation spectrum. Assess the solution, then take the leap Companies that haven't integrated any automation into their ware- houses hesitate for several reasons. Some don't see the purpose if they feel that manual operations are working just fine as is. Others fear that an automated solution lacks flexibility for the ebb and flow of retail order demand. In many cases, companies simply can't justify the expense of a fully-automated warehouse. The most effective warehouses, however, recognize the advantages and integrate automation in the areas where it makes sense, creating an environment that is ultimately more streamlined, adaptable and cost-efficient. Sortation, automated storage and retrieval, goods-to- person and robotics are among the automated elements that can be incorporated into systems. Starting with a thorough assessment of your operations will help you determine which areas could be more efficient and how automation can help accomplish your goals. Say your company has a half- million SKUs, but you don't want to put all of them into automated processes. You can apply automation just to a subset based on velocity while still running the rest through the warehouse manually. Targeted automation can also help your warehouse function with greater agility. Places in the warehouse with a high concentration of workers is a good place to start looking at auto- mation because even a small degree can improve efficiency and accu- racy. Rather than pulling in extra employees during peak seasons, you can up the system's throughput without investing in additional train- ing or worrying about a drop in accuracy. Automation also increases safety for employees by improving ergonomics and cutting down on repetitive motion that can lead to stress injuries. On the other end of the spectrum, companies that are already well-versed in automation are increasingly adopting a goods-to-person approach. Letting machinery select items and bringing them to the worker eliminates a lot of movement and makes it very simple to pick the right product. As companies improve accuracy and efficiency, naturally they start saving money in their warehouses, too. The cost of slowly or incorrectly picked orders adds up over time, so in this example, a directed picking or goods-to-person automated solution, even a partial one, can lead to great long-term savings. Companies that take the leap, however slowly at first, eventually become advocates for automation once they see the degree to which it improves operations. A few years ago, a major retailer with a fully-manual warehouse decided to dip its toe into automation with an automated pick-and- put solution. Earlier this year, it deployed unit sortation, as well as some buffer and sequencing applications. The adoption of automa- tion, even at a slower pace, has had a positive impact on the bottom line as the business grows. Now, it's a bit of a chicken and the egg scenario—business has been able to grow because automation makes order fulfillment more efficient. The growing business means that the retailer may need to invest in even more automation. Every six to eight months, after thoughtful and thorough evaluation, the company may add another automated element to its warehouse. Once managers become comfortable with their initial automation investment, they frequently start thinking about what else they can do to make operations run better, harder and faster. ◆ Clint Lasher is divisional president, engineering and integration, at Oak Lawn at Wynright Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daifuku Webb and a provider of intelligent material handling systems. Finding The Perfect Fit On The Warehouse Automation Spectrum L A S H E R ADVERTISER INDEX Cubic Designs .................................................. 15 Food Logistics Webinar Series ................... 59 Fresh Logistics Asia ........................................ 33 Great Dane Trailers ......................................... 60 HAWKER ............................................................. 17 Infratab ............................................................... 28 Inmar ................................................................... 35 Interlake Mecalux ..............................................9 International Warehouse Logistics Assn. .................................................. 47 Kentucky Economic Devevelopment ..... 49 KNAPP Logistics Automation Inc. .......54-55 Landoll Corp. .................................................... 39 Logistics & Supply Chain Expo .................. 51 McCook Cold Storage ................................... 24 MercuryGate .................................................... 13 Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. ..........44-45 Plug Power ........................................................ 57 Power Automation Systems/PAS .............. 56 ProMat 2015 ..................................................... 29 Raymond Corp................................................. 37 Retrotech ........................................................... 27 Rubbermaid Commercial Products LLC ....5 Ryan Companies US, Inc. ............................. 11 Save-A-Load ..................................................... 31 SSI Schaefer ...................................................... 25 Starke Material Handling Group ............... 41 Supply Chain Services .................................. 53 Swisslog ............................................................. 23 Uline .................................................................... 40 Utility Trailers ..................................................2-3 Viastore Systems ............................................. 43 Volvo Trucks .........................................................7 Witron ................................................................. 21 ADVERTISER ..............................PAGE ADVERTISER ..............................PAGE

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