“We believe in building strong partnerships and working closely throughout the entire life cycle of the automated solutions.”
Roald de Groot
Sales Director, Australia
When a business grows above a certain threshold, there are various benefits to introducing automation and moving away from a wholly manual operation – increasing efficiency being among the most notable.
The more stock keeping units (SKUs) a warehouse handles, the more order lines that have to be processed – and the more picks per order line that need to be completed. All these activities accumulate and begin to stretch existing resources. It’s also worth thinking about the distances operators walk to carry out various tasks in a manual warehouse. These can be quite considerable, resulting in wasted time and effort.
Dealing with labour scarcities
Automation can help to eliminate such labour-intensive activities, while providing greater accuracy and efficiency. Good systems can even assist in retaining staff. For example, our pick stations have been ergonomically designed to make life easier for a workforce. These issues are worth considering as today’s labour scarcities are having quite an impact on warehousing operations.
So, the benefits for automation are considerable, but what’s involved in making that initial step? Good planning and setting realistic goals are important when introducing any automated process. However, when you are looking to automate your operations for the first time, it could well be that you do not have your own project management team – it’s a task you and your colleagues have to fit around your “day jobs”.
The following question should also be considered: “What is the dot on the horizon that I want to reach?” There’s no doubt that it’s a challenge to think about tomorrow’s needs based on what is happening in your warehouse today. However, it’s vitally important to assess the size and scope of the automated solution required.
Drawing on expertise and experience
This may seem daunting, but at Vanderlande we have the experience and expertise to start the journey towards logistic automation. We know exactly what data is needed, and how to analyse and present it as useful information to guide you in your the decision-making process. In addition, our portfolio of solutions and products is extensive, so we’ll be able to find a solution that fits any specific business requirements.
Over many years, we have dealt with many different companies. These range from those presenting us with all the relevant information as a sound base for automation, to those with no idea of how to begin the process. We can also provide initial assistance through workshops and questionnaires that will guide even the most inexperienced management teams.
Our approach is not just about delivering support from the initial early contacts through to the moment we hand over the keys to a new system. We believe in building strong partnerships and working closely throughout the entire life cycle of the automated solutions.
That long-term commitment provides peace of mind, as well as great services, for example, making use of a Vanderlande on-site maintenance team, or offering training to in-house engineers. In addition, there is an extensive and sophisticated life-cycle service portfolio to draw upon.
Solutions that work
We recently implemented end-to-end warehouse automation solutions for several companies that previously had manual operations. Automation has resulted in less physical movements for operators, which has in turn led to time savings across the entire process. In addition, there has been a better allocation of personnel to real value-added activities, which will lead to improved services.
Overall, that’s what good logistic automation is all about. And that’s why it’s the right choice for so many growing businesses in the food, fashion and general merchandise warehousing sectors.